Paths of Contempt
by LegendMaker08
Summary: Wounds of the StarFox team members' disheveled past are re-opened as a new enemy appears. New locales are found and, as the enemy gains strength, remaining a team will mean looking back to the past, to avoid past mistakes and ultimately, avoid destruction
1. Slippy's Descent

**StarFox Fanfic**

**Paths of Contempt**

Chapter 1: Slippy's Descent

It was a calm afternoon as the sun started its descent from the top of the Cornerian skyline. The streets were crowded with cars, each racing past one another. Upon the market of the main road, thousands of people walked, some just exiting their houses, others rushing home. Many not noticing the figures of people in a nearby restaurant, sitting behind a tinted window, merely passing them off as people they would probably never know in a universe as large as this. The people in the window however, merely watched many of the people rush by and continued to enjoy the meal set before them. One member of the group: a tall, suave, avian, took special enjoyment in the frantic pace of the people passing by the window.

"You know, I bet those people wouldn't be in such a rush if they knew that _we_ were eating right here." the blue avian chuckled out as he swallowed another bite of food.

"Yeah, but then we wouldn't be eating here, would we? We'd be bombarded by all of them asking for autographs and pictures, and we wouldn't even get a chance to eat." replied a fox that sat across from the avian. "And that wouldn't be any fun, now would it, Falco?"

"Eh, you're right. Although, the praise is still pretty hard to ignore."

"What praise? Everybody just calls you an arrogant hot-head, Falco." a green toad interrupted.

"Like you even know what praise is, Slippy! Nobody even knows who you are! Remember that time you were mistaken as our luggage-carrier!? Or how about that time you were the chauffeur!?" the irascible avian shot back.

"Alright, gentleman. Calm down. We're in a restaurant for goodness sake." said an elderly hare as he put down his glass.

"Peppy's right, if we expect to be treated like heroes, we should at least act the part." the fox said.

"Fox and Peppy are right, we can't go around starting things up here." a blue vixen sitting next to the fox added.

"Pfft, I'm gettin' more food." Falco said as he left the table.

"Don't get too much, we should be leaving soon." the hare said, finishing the last bit of food on his plate.

"It's the middle of the day, Gramps! We should be out enjoying the world we've saved on countless occasions!" the avian said, pleading.

"We should get back, we still have to work out the payments for the last repair to the Great Fox. Or did you forget, Falco?" the hare asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, if Slippy watched my back like he was supposed to, I wouldn't have had to pull a stunt like that!" the avian snorted.

"If you were a better flyer, you wouldn't have had to use the Great Fox as a shield." the toad mumbled.

"You want to say that louder, frog boy!?" the avian said as he knocked the frog on the head, dislodging his hat.

"Enough of that, Falco, just hurry up." the hare pushed.

"Alright, alright, I'm goin'." the avian said as he headed for the buffet table.

"Where are we goin' after this, Peppy?" the fox asked.

"Oh, well, since it's almost four, I was thinking we could go shopping around for a little bit, like Falco said. It's not everyday when you don't get called in for work. Just don't tell Falco. I want him to suffer for a little bit longer." the hare explained with a smirk.

"Haha, that's perfect! Good job, Peppy!" the toad choked out, nearly falling over in his seat.

"What's so funny, I miss something?" Falco asked as he sat back down.

Eyes shot back and forth between the group.

"No, nothing, Slippy just ate something a little too spicy." Fox excused.

"Oh well, he never could handle heat. Don't tire yourself out too much though, frog boy. You're going to need your strength for bills. Man, I am not looking forward to today." Falco said into his plate.

"Just hurry up and finish." Peppy pushed, with a slight grin hidden behind his somewhat stern expression.

(On the streets of Corneria)

After Falco finished, the group set out. Falco, however seemed to drag behind. When they reached the corner of the street, the front of the group started to turn towards the shopping district.

"Hey, isn't home the other way? HEY!? GUYS!?" Falco asked urgently.

"Oh, didn't we tell you? We felt like having the rest of the day off, seeing as days without work don't come that often. But if you're in such a hurry to head home and do our bills, feel free. See ya later, Falco." Peppy said as the group hurried off.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!!!" Falco yelled as he rushed to the head of the group. "That's not funny guys. Playing me like that…."

"I don't know, I found it kinda funny." Slippy interjected.

"What was that froggy!?" Falco inquired angrily.

"Uh, nothing, Falco ol' buddy….OOH, what's that over there!" Slippy said as he rushed over to a store window.

(The Shopping District)

The group spent the rest of the day going through all of the shopping district. The sun continued to make it's trek across the sky. When the group had nearly finished, the sun was at the horizon, casting the orange haze of twilight across the streets of Corneria. The streetlights hadn't turned on yet, leaving some of the streets darkened as the buildings intercepted the sunlight.

"That was fun. We should all act sick one day and just do this again." Slippy said, resting on a nearby bench.

"I could pummel you and you could be bedridden, if you'd like that." Falco offered.

"No thanks, Falco." Slippy said as he cautiously glanced towards Falco to make sure he wasn't about to make good on his offer.

"Isn't the sunset beautiful, Fox?" Krystal asked, staring in the direction of sunrays.

"Yeah, it is." Fox responded, standing next to her.

When Falco turned away from the emotional drama of the couple, he caught Peppy winking at him. A sly grin slowly grew across his face.

"Oh, shoot. I forgot my reading glasses back at the restaurant!" Peppy exclaimed.

"Dang! I forgot my shades, too." Falco said on cue.

"What? You did?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, I guess we'll have to go back and get them." Peppy said.

"I could go get them for you guys. It's no troub-" Slippy was cut off as he was dragged off by Peppy and Falco. Falco had his feathers covering Slippy's mouth.

"Don't you two worry. Slippy, Peppy, and I'll go get our stuff. You two enjoy yourselves." Falco shouted back as he turned the corner with Slippy in tow.

"Well, ok then…" Fox drifted off.

"Would you like to walk Fox?" Krystal offered, pulling Fox's attention back over to her.

"Sure." Fox said, taking her hand in his.

(At the street corner)

"Hey, what was that all about!?" Slippy angrily asked after he was released from the pair's grip.

"DON'T YOU GET IT YOU NUMBSKULL!?" Falco exploded.

"We're trying to let Fox and Krystal enjoy themselves. They never get much time to themselves anymore with us always hanging around, so we decided to do something about that." Peppy calmly explained.

"So you guys didn't lose your things?" Slippy asked.

"Damn it! Do we have to spell EVERYTHING out to you!?" Falco screamed.

"Ok-ok. Calm down." Slippy said, backing off.

"Ok, boys. We should all rest easy now. Phew, actually, I'm starting to get pretty tired. I think I'll actually head home now." Peppy said, starting to feel the effects of the day's events.

"Meh, I still feel like wandering. I think I'll walk the streets a little more." Falco responded.

"Yeah, I don't feel like going home quite yet, either. Mind if I hang out with you, Falco?" Slippy asked.

"Ugh, fine. Just don't bug me too much."

"Ok, then, see you boys back at the house." Peppy said, heading towards the direction of the house.

"See ya there, Gramps."

"Bye, Peppy"

The two groups then turned in opposite directions.

(The Cornerian Boardwalk)

"You know, the beach looks a lot different from on the ground. Most of the time I usually see it from the cockpit of an Arwing with some sort of creatures running rampant on it." Fox explained staring at the beach and the multitudes of couples that dotted it.

"Yes, but it is nice. The way waves wash over it, erasing any trace of anyone ever being there. It starts out with a clean slate each day." Krystal thought aloud.

"Yeah, if only it was the same way with the city. Each time some crazy nut-job gets a new toy, he feels like breaking the city. It takes a lot to pay for the damages and just causes a lot of headaches." Fox said in an annoyed tone.

"You ought to relax, Fox. It's not everyday we get to enjoy ourselves." Krystal said in a playful manner.

"You're right." Fox replied.

"Come on, let's go on the beach." Krystal commanded, dragging Fox behind her.

(The Cornerian Hangars)

"Home, sweet home." Peppy said with a sigh as he climbed up the stairs leading to the Great Fox's hull.

The Great Fox was a large, dreadnaught-class warship. It had seen many battles and was constantly met with debris in space. It looked majestic in the hangar, it had been rebuilt since the fiasco with the Aparoids, with some chunks of the original ship salvaged from the planet. The parts were melted down to make parts of the new ship, so that way it some of it would still be the original Great Fox like Fox wished. But now, there was a large gash in a section of the hull. Soot had covered the area around the damage. This particular area caught Peppy's attention as he continued to climb the stairs.

"Ahh, Falco." Peppy sighed as he reached the inside of the hull and the stairs pulled up behind him.

ROB, the ship's operating computer/robot, slowly walked through the mechanical doors to greet Peppy.

"Greetings, Peppy." ROB said with a metallic clang to his voice.

"Hey ROB, turn on the lights in the living area, would ya?" Peppy asked, heading towards the door to the living area.

"Affirmative." ROB said as he moved his robotic digits in the air, pantomiming typing upon a keyboard. With a final click, the door before Peppy opened and the lights turned on.

"Thanks ROB." Peppy said as the door shut behind him.

Peppy moved toward the center of the living area and lay down upon a couch, his thoughts concerning today buzzing around in his head. His thoughts slowly turned to the past as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Ahh, James, if only you could see your son, now. It shouldn't have been you that died that day. I'd have gladly taken your place." Peppy thought.

His thoughts thrust him back to that day in the past. Peppy watched as the events of the mission played out in front of him. Three figures had just entered the bridge of a warship, the surface of a planet speeding below them outside the window. They had their blasters drawn. A cloaked figure stood before the three.

"We've got you now, Andross, just give up now. We got places to be and stuff to do, so just make this easy." a debonair vulpine said as he raised his blaster up, his eyes fixed upon the target standing before him behind his dark sunglasses.

"Ah, what a surprise this is. To meet Team StarFox in my own humble abode. It truly is an honor." the man before the vulpine said. "Tis a shame for you to have come this far only to fall now. Who knows how much of my army fell before you and your band."

"Come on, James. Just bag him so we can get back to Corneria, I got a hot date with Vivian waiting for me there." Young Peppy said impatiently, a blaster also fixed upon the cloaked figure.

"In a sec, Peppy. Let's try to do this with class." James responded.

"Too bad class is over Jamesy. It's time we finish this." the last figure said, slowly walking towards the cloaked figure.

"What're you doing, Pigma!?" Young Peppy asked. When the third figure reached the cloaked figure, he turned and raised his blaster up at the vulpine.

"Wus it look like? I'm winning! I'm looking out for number 1! Too bad number 1 doesn't include you guys." Pigma said.

"Yes, now get rid of them, Pigma!" The cloaked figure said, removing his hood and turning to face the remaining two figures. His face was twisted and wrinkled from age, a demented glare etched into his eyes.

"You got it!" Pigma chortled, pulling the trigger.

The vulpine pushed Young Peppy out of the way. He dodged behind some machinery as blaster fire continued to rain down upon them. Young Peppy slid and fell out through a ventilation grate on the floor, dropping him down to the floor below. He fell into a hallway, with actual Peppy following him after him, clutching his arm, remembering the pain the fall had caused.

"Get out of here, Peppy!!" the voice of the vulpine called out from the floor above.

"No Peps, come stay awhile!!! We're having a grand ol' time!!!" Pigma chuckled.

Blaster fire clanged out after the last chortle.

"NO, JAMES!! I'LL BE UP THERE IN A MINUTE!!!" Young Peppy yelled, looking for an easy way up.

"GET OUT, PEPPY!! GO!!! Just tell my son…..what happened. Now call the General and tell him to send up reinforcements."

With that last word, something on the floor above clicked. A second later, a blast shook the whole ship.

"NOW GO!!!"

More blaster fire rang out and Peppy could hear a gasp come out on the bridge above.

The last thing Peppy could bare to see was himself running headlong down the hallway toward the source of the explosion. "General…..send up some ships. Defenses are down here….."

Peppy returned back to the living area of the Great Fox. He sighed again as he settled back down. His thoughts were interrupted by an incoming message flashing upon the intercom on the wall next to the door. Peppy got up and answered it. Falco's face showed up on the screen, streetlights in the background rushing by.

"Hey, Gramps! We got a problem!!" Falco exclaimed.

(Cornerian streets)

"Say, Falco. Where do you go when you leave the team?" Slippy asked all of a sudden, continuing to walk through the streets alongside Falco.

"Huh, what?" Falco asked, his trance broken.

"I said, 'Where do you go when you leave the team?' You know, what do you do?" Slippy asked again.

"What's it to you, frog boy?" Falco retorted defensively.

"Nothing, just curious." Slippy said innocently.

"That's it, nothing. It's not important, k?" Falco said.

"Ok, ok, jeez, just thought I'd ask." Slippy said.

With that, the two continued to walk down the sidewalk. They didn't happen to notice that some figures had started to follow after them…

(Cornerian Beach)

"Is something wrong, Fox?" Krystal asked, concerned about Fox's expression.

"No, it's just that, something feels…..unsettling. Doesn't it?" Fox asked Krystal in response.

"Maybe, do you want to head back to the Great Fox now?" Krystal asked, concealing her discontent.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm happy just being here." Fox reassured her.

"Ok. You know, this beach reminds me of Cape Claw on Sauria…" Krystal said, remembering back to the time spent back on Dinosaur Planet just before leaving.

"Yeah it does, but instead of the cries of different dinosaurs, there's the roars of city life instead." Fox said with a smile as one of the countless cars honked its horn.

"Heh, yes, it still feels weird, I still haven't gotten used to this." Krystal smiled, looking at Fox's face.

Fox looked back at Krystal and the two started to lean in. Just as their lips were about to meet, Fox's wrist communicator came to life, Falco's face showing up. Flustered, Fox answered the communicator. Krystal looked on with a smile.

"Hey Fox! We got trouble, where are ya!?" Falco asked in a hurried tone.

"I'm at the beach with Krystal, why?"

"Great, they're turning that way. I'll come pick ya up. Get ready!" Falco yelled as the comm. link disconnected.

"What is he talking about!?" Fox asked.

"Fox, look." Krystal said, pointing to the streets. A black car sped past people on the boardwalk, pursued by a motorcycle. The motorcycle pulled over, the wheels being deployed, ending the hover-cycle. The driver was a familiar blue, avian.

"Hurry up!!!" Falco yelled. "We don't got time, use this!!" Falco yelled as he reached over towards a conveniently located stand and tossed over a hoverboard.

Fox rushed over and picked up the board. "Go back to the Great Fox, Krystal!!! We'll meet up with you back there!" With that, Fox mounted the board and held on to the motorcycle as Falco sped away. Krystal, sighing, started towards the Cornerian hangars.

(Cornerian Streets)

"Say Falco, why do yo-"

"Hey, Slippy, I got my own question. Why do you have a need to talk so damn much?" Falco snapped. "I let you come along under the conditions that you don't bug me. But here we are!"

"Geez, sorry. I was just making small-talk." Slippy regretfully said.

"Ugh, I'm sorry too I guess." Falco said. "I was just thinking a litt-"

"FALCO!! HELP!!!!" Slippy yelled.

Falco turned around to see Slippy get dragged off by a hound. A black car suddenly sped up from nowhere and the door opened. The hound shoved Slippy inside and climbed in afterwards. Suddenly, another hound came out of nowhere and swung at Falco. Falco ducked just in time and gave the hound a reverse-kick to the gut. The hound keeled over just as the car door slammed and sped down the road right past Falco. Falco sprinted after it. After several seconds, Falco started looking for an easier means of transport. He found a raccoon riding by on a motorcycle. Falco jumped out in front and pushed the raccoon off.

"I need to borrow this!" Falco excused as he revved the engine and went off, leaving the raccoon dumbfounded.

Falco managed to catch up to the car before it left sight. The car went on a straight-away that led to the edge of the city. Falco continued his pursuit of the car, weaving through traffic. The car ran through several lights, causing some cars to stall, not expecting wreckless driving. Falco had to dodge past them. The lambent streetlights became an audience to the spectacle occurring in the streets. The car was now back in the shopping district speeding down another straightaway.

Falco called the Great Fox on his communicator. "Hey Gramps! We got a problem!! Some goons got Slippy!!"

"What!? What goons!?" Peppy asked, concerned.

"I don't know, they just snatched him up out of nowhere!! I'm following them now. Don't worry, I'll get 'im back!" with that, Falco returned to his pursuit.

The car had neared the end of the shopping district. Falco, realizing that this was taking too long, decided to call for some backup.

With his wrist communicator on, he called his remaining teammates. "Hey Fox! We got trouble, where are ya!?"

"I'm at the beach with Krystal, why?"

At that moment the black car made a turn on to the boardwalk.

"Great, they're turning that way. I'll come pick ya up. Get ready!" Falco disconnected the link and turned on to the boardwalk. He stopped when he found Fox.

"Hurry up!!!" Falco yelled. He knew that Fox being on the back of the motorcycle wouldn't be much help so he looked around for something for Fox to use. He found a stand selling mementos and found a hoverboard, it wasn't a sidecar but it'd do.

"We don't got time, use this!!" Falco yelled as he tossed the hoverboard over. It landed in the sand.

"Go back to the Great Fox, Krystal!!! We'll meet up with you back there!" Fox yelled back before he mounted the board. He grabbed onto the motorcycle and Falco sped off. The car was nearly out of sight. Falco sped up so much that Fox could barely hang on.

"So, care to explain?" Fox asked, trying to remain on the board and bike.

"Those thugs just took Slips." Falco said, determined to catch the captors. "Hang on." Falco said as he took a sharp turn, nearly flinging Fox off the bike.

"They're heading towards the northeast section of town…" Fox analyzed. "They're base has to be there, there's not much else there."

The bike had closed the gap once again, reaching around 75 mph. Slippy looked out the back of the car window. He had tape over his mouth and his wrists and ankles were bound. He saw Falco and Fox closing in on them. The hounds inside however, did not notice.

"Heheh, that was easy. Too bad for Damion, though. That kick looked painful." one hound said with a laugh.

"Yeah, but now we're going to have to explain what happened to boss." the driver said.

"So what? With this little bounty we just picked up, who's gonna care? I wonder how much General Pepper will pay for this guy? To think, a member of StarFox, right here! AHAHA!!!" the last hound laughed.

"K, boys, hang on. We're heading towards the hover-gap." the driver warned the others.

Just then, Falco pulled up alongside the car. Fox reached over with one hand and grabbed onto the car.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" the driver asked, looking into the rear-view mirror.

"Hang on, I'll take care of this." the hound closest to the side Fox was on said.

The hound waited until Fox was close enough, then he opened the door. The door banged into Fox, but Fox managed to get a grip on the door handle. The board, however fell out from underneath Fox, leaving his feet dangling. Fox managed to jump on top of the trunk.

"That's it!" the first hound yelled. He pulled out a blaster and rolled down the window.

Falco, seeing this, pulled up and slammed the bike into the side of the car, knocking the blaster from the hound's hand.

"Here we go boys." the driver said.

The hover-gap is a section of Corneria that runs underground. It was intended to be a parking garage, but has since developed many shops and living areas, so much so that it has now been used as just another section of town. A road runs over the gap leading down into it, however. Cars have to hover over the gap, giving it it's name. Cars can be seen crisscrossing in the gap as well, deterring people from standing near the gap unless they had a death wish.

The black car suddenly went into a nose-dive down into the hover-gap. The car passed many floors, with Fox nearly falling off. Falco, not expecting the sudden nose-dive, attempted the same stunt but clipped the edge of the gap, jarring him loose from the bike.

Falco was then hurtling down the gap, screaming. Then, suddenly he crashed atop another car, leaving a massive dent in the hood of the car. Slightly delirious from the fall, it took a second for Falco to register what had happened. As he regained his senses, he was startled to see who was driving the car. She was wearing a red-headband, had brown-grayish fur, and sharp eyes.

"Katt?" Falco choked out as shock spread over his face. The driver looked out past the window after registering she had just had a person fall atop her car, and the same look of shock spread over her face.

"Falco?" the driver said. At that moment, another car rear-ended her and knocked Falco off.

Meanwhile, Fox clung to the car for his life. The car was about to crash onto ground floor when it straightened out. Inertia, however, made Fox bounce off the car and onto the ground. The car then sped down the tunnel ahead of it. Falco plummeted into a nearby pile of barrels.

"You ok?" Fox asked grinning, partially out of pain, partially out of enjoyment at his friends obviously painful fall.

"I'll live, albeit in intensive care for a while." Falco said, grunting as he struggled out of the barrels. "Say, what is this stuff?"

Falco was staring at what had cushioned his fatal fall. In the barrels, there were mounds of powdery substance.

"That doesn't look legal." Fox concluded, walking over to Falco's impact site.

"Yeah, we might be able to bust these dirtbags later for this, but first, we have to get Slippy." Falco said with renewed determination.

The two started down the tunnel in a brisk sprint. The tunnel had an upward curve, leading up to the higher levels of the gap.

"You ready? I see the car." Fox asked, nodding his head towards the direction of the black car after climbing several levels. It was hidden inside a shed next to a dank, decrepit structure.

"Oh yeah! Let's get our retard back and head home!" Falco said, beginning his approach towards the building.

"Shoot, I left my blaster on the Great Fox!" Fox said after checking his person.

"Come on, Fur-Ball, you never needed that toy before. Where's that killer-instinct from the Academy days?" Falco said shoving his leader up to the building ahead of him.

The two sidled up along the wall of the building. The windows were boarded up, but the handiwork was shoddy and easily allowed for anyone to see in. Fox peered inside to see groups of hounds drinking and laughing. There was easily six hounds in the one room. Lights were on in other rooms, and clanging and other noises could be heard, indicating more members remaining to be seen. Fox signaled to Falco the number he saw. Falco bent down and picked up a board that fell down from one of the windows.

Noticing the eagerness in his partner, Fox moved to the front of the door. With a forceful slam of his foot, he kicked the door in. Fox and Falco immediately moved in, using their enemies confusion to their advantage. Fox immediately moved towards the bulk of the hounds, all of which were settled down upon a couch. With a leap, Fox kicked one hound in the face, taking both the hound and himself over the couch. Falco, in the meantime, was using his block of wood with a fervor. He swung his board quickly, aiming for a hound resting against the wall, the board connecting with the hound's face. The hound was knocked out the boarded window. Falco continued his assault without hesitation, immediately dropping down, and, using the momentum from the previous swing, he took out the kneecap of the nearest hound.

The rest of the hounds, recovering from the shock of the sneak attack, finally got up, angry about being taken by surprise. The slightly drunk hounds started to circle around Fox. One hound behind Fox took the first swing. Fox ducked, catching the hounds arm mid-punch, and pulled. The hound flipped over Fox and was sent flying into the hound directly across from Fox. Another hound, seeing an opportunity, swung at Fox from his right, only to have Fox's left elbow meet with his gut. As the hound keeled over, the hound across from him in the circle dashed in to take out the enemy. Fox, however, unleashed a reverse-kick right into the hound's chest. The hound was sent careening backwards, right into the open doorway.

Falco, was mowing down enemies left and right using the piece of lumber. He was doing fine until he met a slightly more-sober hound. This hound caught the lumber mid-swing, trying to rip it from Falco's grasp. Unable to do so, the hound raised the piece of lumber, making Falco's arms raise with it, leaving his inner torso exposed. Before Falco could react, the hound raised his foot and shoved with great vigor, knocking Falco atop a nearby table and seized control of the board. The hound approached the table, switching the board into his preferred hand. Falco, opening his eyes after accepting the blow, immediately saw a bottle of some alcoholic liquid roll into his face. Falco grabbed the neck of the bottle and swung it up, smashing it into the face of the hound, just as the board was about to come down. The glass shattered and the hound fell over backwards.

With the last hound down, Falco fell down into a wooden chair nearby. Fox, tired himself, fell down onto the couch the hounds used.

"Hehe, you…..see their…faces?" Falco choked out through deep breaths.

"Oh yeah,…..the one….you hit….with the bottle. His….was priceless." Fox laughed out, breathing deeply as well.

"Doofus….has…to be..upstairs." Falco said, his breathing beginning to regulate.

"Yeah, let's go..get him." Fox said, lifting himself off the couch.

With one last breath from each, the two moved towards the back rooms. In the corner of what appeared to be a dining room, the two found a staircase. The two ascended slowly, backs to the wall, as they slowly climbed the stairs. The stairwell opened up into a narrow hallway, not wide enough to fit two people shoulder-to-shoulder. Fox lead the two, shoulder leaning against the wall, going up to the sole doorway. It had a smoked glass window, upon which read the words, Dolo.

Fox pressed his ear up against the window. He could hear a couple of voices being thrown back and forth.

"-s really nothing, boss. We just kinda snuck up on him when he wasn't looking and got him." one voice triumphantly spoke.

"His friend gave us some trouble though. Frickin' knocked a guy off his own bike to get us." another voice continued.

"Yeah, but we sent him down the gap, forcefully." the first voice continued, still sounding triumphant.

"Too bad it didn't work." a third voice said.

Realization ran through Fox's eyes. He kicked down the door and entered immediately, with Falco not far behind.

There were three hounds in the room, with Slippy tied to a swivel-chair off in far-right corner. Two hounds were from the car, standing, and the last sat in a large, high-back chair. They were standing in an office-like room, similar to a Private Eye's office, just with more space. Some more of the barrels Falco had fallen into were sitting adjacent to Slippy's corner. The two standing hounds looked startled, but not surprised. After a second, smiles grew across their faces. Fox cut right to the chase.

"We're here for our friend. Just shut your traps now, hand him over, and we'll leave you scumbags to continue festering in this crap-hole without bruises." Fox announced.

"Bold demands, Mr. McCloud. But you didn't think we'd hear the ruckus you caused downstairs? It was quite loud..." the hound in the chair stated.

This time, shock ran through Fox's eyes as he heard Falco's grunt when his face met the wall to the right. Two large bulldogs were behind Fox, the first one that entered resuming an upright position after knocking Falco aside, the second just entering the room from the hallway.

"It's called a rear-view mirror, Mr. McCloud. Even these moronic goons can tell when someone is on the back of a car." the seated hound called out.

The two standing hounds formed a circle with the two bulldogs around Fox. The second large bulldog then moved in, disarming Fox with a large bear-hug.

"Now we have three bargaining chips. What a pretty penny we'll get for the return of the famous StarFox team!" the hound laughed out.

Falco had just struggled back into consciousness. He remained on the ground, hearing voices other than Fox's, not trying to draw attention to himself. He looked around. Off in the corner, he saw Slippy bound to the chair. He then formulated a plan, and struggled to his knees, ducking behind the nearby assistant's desk.

"What do you expect to do…Dolo, was it?" Fox choked out, the immense pressure on his lungs hindering his audibility.

"What? You didn't hear me the first time. I'll say it again: I'm going to sell you back to General Pepper. Then I'm going to high-tail it out of this rat-hole. One-two punch if I say so myself." Dolo explained again.

Falco had managed to sneak over to Slippy undetected. He hid behind his chair, waiting for the right time. Slippy had just noticed Falco's presence behind him and started wriggling around in his binds.

"Stop moving you idiot!" Falco said loud enough for Slippy to hear. "Time to make yourself useful!"

With that last word, Falco shoved the swivel chair into a nearby hound, knocking him over and slamming him unconscious upon the ground. Slippy's eyes were screaming as his chair fell over. Falco jumped up and followed right after the chair, running in between the bulldog's legs, knocking him and Fox over. Fox managed to struggle his way out of the bulldog's grasp just before getting crushed, rolling right next to Dolo's desk. The bulldog smacked his head on the Dolo's desk and fell unconscious as well. Dolo jumped up, shock in his eyes, then calmed down and retreated to a drawer in the corner. Falco ended up in the corner opposite Slippy's initial corner, with the second hound closing in on him. Slippy was now on the floor, in the middle of the room. He was nearly stepped upon by the second bulldog as it started heading towards Fox.

The hound was now smirking as it edged closer to Falco. He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a knife. He took a swing at Falco, and barely missed as Falco ducked. Falco went around the hound and retreated to the opposite corner again. The hound continued his attacks, Falco nimbly dodging each one. Finally, Falco used an axe kick on the hounds hand, jarring the knife from his hand, then followed with a hook kick to the hounds' left side, knocking him out a window.

The bulldog, however, started his own assault. He tried stepping on Fox, but Fox rolled underneath Dolo's desk. The bulldog, now agitated, lifted up the desk and dropped it in an attempt to crush Fox, missing again as Fox rolled off to the side.

"That's coming out of your paycheck, you lug!" Dolo yelled, quickly returning to searching through the drawer.

The bulldog, now furious, searched around for Fox now, losing track of him after Dolo's threat. Fox had snuck behind the bulldog and kicked him in the back. The bulldog barely twitched. He turned around and picked Fox up by the collar of his shirt. He then ran Fox's body into the wall next to the door, creating a loud smack that sounded out in the room. Fox gasped out in pain. The bulldog started laughing as it started punching Fox in the face. Slippy, during the fight had wriggled himself next to the door, with the bulldog now merrily bashing Fox in the face. Slippy used the door hinge to remove his mouth gag. He then tried biting the bulldog's ankle, a task hard to do with no teeth. The warm sensation now registering, the bulldog started shaking his leg furiously in an attempt to shake Slippy off. Falco, now seeing the bulldog panicking, ran headlong into a full-body tackle into the bulldog. The bulldog and Falco went straight into the adjacent wall, the bulldog smashing his head on the way down. The bulldog lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

"You ok, Fox?" Slippy finally managed to ask after being freed from his gag.

"No." Fox joked, blood dripping from his mouth as he coughed out a couple of laughs.

At that moment, the sound of a blaster fired. Dolo had finally found the blaster in the drawer and fired a warning shot.

"That's it! I'm getting my money, one way or another! Now move!" Dolo commanded, his blaster trained upon Fox's head.

"Screw that!" Falco yelled as he picked up the first hound's limp body and tossed it in Dolo's direction.

Dolo was forced to duck to dodge the incoming body. Falco rushed to the opposite corner and ducked behind the barrels in the corner. Fox and Slippy, unaware of the current plan, stood there, dumbfounded. Dolo shot wildly into the air now, causing chunks of the ceiling to fall down, kicking up dust and debris.

"ENOOOOUGH!!!! I'm gonna make you regret ever coming here!!!" Dolo yelled as he walked towards Fox and Slippy. "ENJOY SUCKING ON LASER!!!!"

"Hey, Dolo!!!!! SUCK ON THIS!!!!" Falco yelled as he bashed Dolo on the back of the head with one of the barrels from the corner.

The lights left Dolo's eyes as he fell to his knees, a look of pain imprinted upon his face. Fox and Slippy looked up at Falco's smug face as he dropped the barrel to the ground. Falco dropped to the ground and panted. His jacket had several cuts from where the knife had just missed, and his right cheek was developing a bruise from where his face had met wall. When he regained his senses, he looked at his comrades. Fox had blood dripping from several cuts on his face and a darkened ring started forming around his right eye. Slippy was still bound to the chair and had a bruise on his neck from when the bulldog shook him around.

"You guys look like crap." Falco said after several minutes and fell over.


	2. Academic Standards

Chapter 2: Academic Standards

The day was cloudy, much like everyone's emotions. The raid had failed. Only Peppy Hare, the last remaining member of the StarFox Team returned, his sullen expression not boding well. Nobody was on the streets, nobody wanted to be out. Only those that had places to go would be caught outside at a time like this. Many losses had been sustained and national morale was at an all time low. Only one car could be found on the main road, others either not leaving their houses or taking a side road.

"Come on, buddy. Cheer up. You can't start a day out like this." a blue avian stated.

"Leave me alone." a second blue avian said, defiantly. He was smaller than the first one, at most 6 years old.

"I'm upset, too, everyone is. But I-"

"SHUT UP!!! I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU!!!!" the younger avian yelled out, staring only at the clouds outside the window.

The car the two were in pulled over. They had reached their destination. The younger avian had opened the door as soon as the car stopped and was about to leave when his hand was caught by the older avian.

"Falco,…I know he wasn't my biological father, but he was still my dad…too…" the older avian said solemnly.

"I SAID, SHUT UP!!!! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!!!!!" the younger avian said, ripping his hand away, running towards the Cornerian Academy.

The older avian reached over and closed the door.

"Have a good day at school…" the avian said into the steering wheel. The car waited, then pulled out into the darkened morning.

(The Great Fox)

The stairs leading to the hull of the Great Fox descended slowly. It took a good hour and a half to get out of the hover-gap, considering Fox was beaten into a bloody mess and Falco had damaged depth perception from his encounter with the wall, leaving Slippy to take most of the load of carrying Fox out, with occasional aid from Falco when he wasn't nauseated. It took another 40 minutes to reach the Cornerian Hangars, while paying off the taxi driver not to ask questions. By the time the trio reached the Great Fox, the moon had already risen to the top of the sky, casting its moonlight upon the Cornerian Streets, only to be blocked out by city-lights. The three climbed the stairs, moaning every inch of the way. They walked into the living area, where they encountered Peppy, Krystal, and ROB waiting for them.

"OH MY GOODNESS!!! FOX!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?!?" Krystal yelled out, running over to the battered vulpine, his blood already dried.

"Oh yeah, we're fine, no need to ask." Falco sarcastically uttered, plummeting to the couch, exhaughsted.

"Initiating medical procedures." ROB said, his analysis of the returning three finished.

"Thanks ROB." Fox said.

"So, care to explain, gentleman?" Peppy asked.

"Slippy was an idiot and dragged us into it, but Foxy here and I handled it." Falco said as his face was being treated by ROB.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault I got captured!" Slippy said in his defense.

"Oh, so who's fault is it!? Krystal's!?" Falco said, returning to his usual demeanor as ROB finished his treatment.

"Well-uh…"

"COME ON, OUT WITH IT!!! You got nothin', don't you?" Falco said, a smile growing across his face. "AHHH, I'm just joking, you green balloon. Just glad to have ya back!"

Falco walked over to Slippy and drilled his knuckle into the top of his head.

"OW!!! FOX!!! HELP!!!!" Slippy pleaded.

"So what happened?" Krystal asked, settling down after ROB started Fox's treatment.

"Well, like I told Gramps on the comm. message, we're walking down the street, and some goons pop up out of nowhere and snatch Slips up." Falco explained. "Thank goodness I was there to chase after him."

"You knocked some guy off his bike and ran past the speed limit." Slippy said.

"Would you have preferred it if I left you there?" Falco asked, a grin now forming on his face.

"Uhhh-"

"Didn't think so, now let me finish. So, after several minutes of chasing these guys, I know that I'm probably gonna need some help, cuz I knew I couldn't stop them if I had to keep driving at that speed, so I call Fox up." Falco continued.

Krystal blushed as Fox scratched his head.

"So I find these two on the boardwalk, and Fox gets on a hover-board." Falco continued to explain.

"Then Falco nearly flung me off…" Fox said under his breath.

"Hey, you can get things done right, or we let Frogger there eat up Corneria's budget just to get him back." Falco joked.

"So Fox jumps onto their car after we pull up alongside them, and we have to work to keep him there. Then these guys plummet into the hover-gap." Falco went on.

"Yeah, and you fall off your bike." Fox laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, but then I fell…on a…car…" Falco drifted off.

"Really? Is that what happened? I was wondering how you didn't end up part of the pavement." Fox joked. "Falco? FALCO!"

"Huh…, oh, yeah, so now we're at the bottom of the hover-gap. Those guys had their drug-ring or whatever going on down there, but we sneak up anyway. Fox busts down the door and we knock the heck out of all of their cronies. Then we make our way up to the next floor. There they got Slippy bound to a frickin' swivel chair. So we bust our way in to confront their boss-"

"And you get sent into the wall."

"Shut up, they took me by surprise."

"They were twice your size!"

"SHUT UP!"

"So, while genius here was on the ground, I start negotiating with their boss." Fox took over.

"And then Falco pushed me into them…" Slippy said, shuddering at the memory.

"Which was a sufficient way of distracting them, thank you." Falco said to Slippy. "And then Fox and I finished the job! Took a barrel to their boss' head! It was a thing of beauty!" Falco said triumphantly.

"Sounds like you two did a good job. But, maybe next time you guys can try dodging a couple blows…" Peppy said, bringing attention to their injuries.

"Eh, we've had worse." Falco said, nonchalant.

"Ahh, you two still act like you did at school." Peppy reminisced.

"Yeah, but I wasn't as kick-ass back then." Falco said, attempting to brag.

"You still aren't." Slippy said, a smile on his face now.

"Hey, refresh my memory, were _**you**_ _**ever**_ popular, Tads?" Falco asked, the smile going from Slippy's face to Falco's.

"HEY! You said you wouldn't call me that anymore!" Slippy exclaimed.

"Get over it."

"You all went to school together?" Krystal asked, intrigued in the past now.

"Yeah, Falco, Slippy, and me. Same classes, same grade." Fox explained to Krystal.

"Yep, I remember it all, they were just a bunch of rascals back then." Peppy said, grinning to himself.

"Yep, we all watched each others backs." Fox said, reminiscing.

"Yeah, it was fun." Slippy repeated.

At that instant, the clocks inside the Great Fox toned, alerting everybody inside to the current time: 12:00 A.M.

"Wow, we stayed up late. Time for bed." Falco said, stretching.

"Yeah, we're gonna need our rest, we're probably gonna get called in tomorrow." Fox said, realizing how fatigued he was from everything that had happened today.

"G'night everyone." Peppy yawned, leading the group out through the door to the rest of the Great Fox.

"Night." Slippy said, following Peppy out the door.

"Good Night, boys." Krystal said, also heading for the door.

Just as Falco was about to leave the room, he was pulled back by Fox.

"Falco, you okay? You kinda stopped short in the middle of your narrative today." Fox inquired.

"Hmm, oh…yeah." Falco nodded.

"Well?"

"I saw her today, Fox. I saw Katt." Falco said glumly.

"WHAT!? Where!?"

"That is, I think I saw her. I was kind of disoriented. Remember that car I said I fell on? I think she was the one driving it…"

"So she's here? In Corneria?"

"Maybe, I told you, I **fell** on top of the car. It's kind of hard to focus when you're senses are knocked right out of you."

"Well, you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be just fine, don't worry about. Now let's get some sleep." Falco said, eyes starting to grow heavy.

"K, after you." Fox said as the two walked down the metal hallway to their quarters.

(Cornerian Suburbs)

"Peppy! You're back!!!" a young vulpine said as he rushed to the figure standing in his doorway.

"He doesn't know, does he?" the hare asked the vixen standing inside the house.

"No, I was hoping someone close to James could tell him. Someone there. That way, there would be no doubt." the vixen responded.

"Tell who what?" the young vulpine inquired thoughtfully, his eyes staring up at the figures looming over him. "Hey, Peppy, if you're back, does that mean Dad is too?"

"Now, Fox, you're going to have to be strong for me, alright?" the hare asked, kneeling down to look the young vulpine face-to-face.

"Sure, Peppy, what is it?"

"You know that your father cared for you very much, right? You knew that…you knew that he wanted you to grow up to be strong and kind, right?" the hare asked, losing his resolve.

"Yeah, but why are you saying 'cared' and 'wanted'? Shouldn't it be 'cares' and 'wants'?"

"Fox…, the reason he's saying it like that is…because…Fox…your father is-" the vixen tried to explain.

"NO. I'll tell him." Peppy exclaimed. "Fox, your father, he…he….he died. Pigma, he betrayed us. He's passed on."

"What do you mean? He can't die, he's the leader of StarFox! He can't die. He hasn't before! Why now!? Peppy? Where's Dad? He's not dead. He can't be dead! Peppy…" the young vulpine stammered.

"Fox…Fox…come here." the vixen said, reaching her hand out.

"He can't be dead. He's my daddy! He can't die!" the vulpine yelled out, tears streaming down his youthful face.

"Fox…this must be hard. But, remember, your father wouldn't want you to be upset. He wanted you to become strong…Fox. Take this." Peppy said, reaching into his pocket.

"Wh-what?" the young vulpine said, his eyes murky with tears.

"This." Peppy said, reaching pulling an object out of his pocket. It was blue, and glossy. It had the face of a fox upon it, with wings stretching out on either side.

"The StarFox emblem?" the vulpine asked through gasps for air.

"Yes. That was your father's original. It was the only thing he left in storage. He had another made after you born, he was planning on giving that to you when you graduated from the Academy. But I feel, that, now, you should have it. That way, you'll have the courage you need to face your problems, without your father now." Peppy explained. "Just one thing though, you cannot have it, unless you're willing to accept the responsibilities that come with having an emblem. You cannot face away from danger. You cannot let others be hurt when you can help it. You must defend those that are dear. You must be strong for those that are weak! Will you accept these conditions?"

"Yes, I'll do it for dad." the vulpine said, his tears drying up.

"Good. You know, the Academy will be opening soon, the war has suspended since Andross is missing in action right now. Your father wanted to see you attend there, just like he did, isn't that right, Vixan?" Peppy asked, looking at the vixen standing behind Fox.

"Yes, he always talked about seeing you graduate, passing the torch of leading the StarFox team from himself to you." the vixen remembered.

"So, Fox, will you go to the Academy?"

"Yes, sir, Peppy!" the vulpine said without hesistation, his tears for his father beginning to well up again.

"Good, James'd be proud." Peppy said, and for the first time since the long trip home, Peppy smiled.

(The Great Fox)

Three of the five members of the StarFox team woke up sore. It took them a good while to get out into the main living area of the Great Fox after exiting their beds. When they finally entered, Krystal and Peppy had already started the day's activities. Peppy was in the kitchen, which was up the stairs and the opposite side of the door. Many different tantalizing aromas wafted down throughout the whole room. Krystal was setting up different plates and silverware at the dining table, which was located right next to the kitchen stairs.

"Morning, boys." Krystal said with a smile.

"What was that, Krystal?" Peppy yelled from the kitchen, the sounds of food cooking drowning out most of the noises within the two rooms.

"They're up!" Krystal yelled back.

"Oh good." Peppy said, walking out of the kitchen. He had an apron on, with a spatula in one hand, a serving fork in the other. "You guys want your pancakes a special way?"

At that moment, a bursting noise sounded from the kitchen.

"Yuh-oh…" Peppy said, waddling back into the kitchen.

"That geezer is going to hurt himself…" Falco said, taking a seat at the dining table.

"Yeah, maybe someone should help him…" Slippy said, unnervingly.

"Why don't you? I'm still aching from yesterday." Falco said, cracking his neck.

"ME!? Why ME!?"

"Well, first of all, you brought it up. Second of all, you were tied to a chair the whole time, Fox and I were the ones fighting yesterday."

"HEY! I helped too you know!"

"Yes, you were a very good projectile, then you made a very nice ankle weight. Now get moving!" Falco commanded.

"Alright…" Slippy said sullenly, climbing the stairs and grabbing an apron from a hook next to the kitchen entrance.

"Are you ok, Fox?" Krystal asked Fox, who was feeling the new contours of his face.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ok, just a little swollen is all."

"Swollen is an understatement." Falco said, eyeing Fox's injuries.

"Eh, it'll go down after a little bit, maybe some ice will help." Fox said, standing up.

Another blast sounded from the kitchen as Fox stood up, with some yells following afterwards.

"AHHH, HOT, HOT, HOT!!!!" Slippy screamed, his cries echoing out of the kitchen.

"You're going to need backup if you're going in there." Falco said, getting up with Fox. "We replaced the old fire extinguisher, right?"

"HOLD STILL, SLIPPY!!! I GOT IT!!!!" Peppy yelled, a noise of foam blowing out of container following afterwards.

"Good thing we replaced it. Otherwise, we'd be having frog legs for breakfast…" Falco said, following Fox up the stairs.

"Come on, Krystal, we might need you to find those two, considering the smoke they made." Fox said, indicating the smoke rising up into the ceiling, going out the ventilation ducts.

"Ok." Krystal said, quickly following the two up the stairs.

When breakfast was finally served, one apron was destroyed, singed in some places, foamy in the others. Slippy had a slight cough after exiting the smoke, and Peppy had a newly formed lump on his head when Slippy fell down after stepping on the fire extinguisher, knocking a frying pan into the air and consequently, falling upon Peppy's head. Yet, despite the mishaps in the kitchen, the food looked decent.

"How the heck did this happen?" Falco asked, swallowing a bite of egg.

"How did what happen?" Peppy asked.

"You guys might as well've been making a bomb in there, but the food looks and tastes fine…" Falco said, poking his food with his fork inquiringly.

"I did tell you how I learned to cook, right?" Peppy said, raising his eyebrow.

"No one wants to know what factory taught you how to do what you did in that kitchen." Falco said, attempting to avoid an anecdote.

"Nonsense, it's actually a very interesting story…" Peppy began.

At that moment, a robotic voice crackled onto the speakers in every room of the Great Fox.

"Attention. Attention. Incoming message from General Pepper. Incoming message from General Pepper. All StarFox personnel, report to the bridge. All Starfox personnel, report to the bridge." ROB's voice announced.

"Right on schedule. Any second later and we'd have been learning why adding cinnamon to curry doesn't work." Falco said, nearly sprinting out of the room.

"So much for another day off…" Slippy said sighing.

"Well, if you used the right ingredients…maybe cinnamon would work in curry…" Peppy said to himself, lost in his thoughts.

"What do you think we'll be doing this time, Fox?" Krystal asked Fox.

"I don't know, it's always a different thing with the General." Fox replied.

The group headed to the bridge. They exited the living area out into the metal hallway, turning down towards the exit, after a couple of feet down the hallway, they turned and entered an elevator. They rode the elevator up, exiting into the bridge. The bridge had screens and monitors of all sizes lining the perimeter of the room. The large front window revealed the interior of the Cornerian hangars. ROB was standing on a raised walkway of to the left, pantomiming more keyboard controls, which would activate or deactivate a function on the ship, depending upon the situation. There were several chairs in the room as well, one for each member. Fox took his seat in the Captain's Chair, pressing several buttons upon the armrest. In an instant, a holographic image appeared, showing General Pepper's head. The rest of the StarFox team stood behind Fox's chair, opting not to take a seat to make it easier for the general to see them.

"Ah, StarFox team! I take it you enjoyed your day off yesterday?" the General asked.

"Yessir, General." Fox replied, nonchalant.

"Good, because you might not have one for a while, a new threat has appeared, one that threatens the safety of the Lylat System. One that could rival that of Andross."

Author's Notes: Yeah, this chapter kinda went slowly, I know. But I had to get what happened after the team got back out of the way somewhere, so as soon as possible is good. But yeah, it's going to pick up, just like any story does. Thanks for reviewing all of two people. So here's their shout-outs:

_-notfromearth7__ 2008-11-17 . chapter 1_

_I like where this is going!_

Thank you very much. I like to utilize those skills I picked up from my English classes over the years.

_-paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-11-16 . chapter 1_

_This story is very well written. Everything fit together perfectly. This must have been murder to write. a perfect 10/10  
~PSC~_

Again, thank you. I like it when you're able to have a character do something on one side of the story from another character's perspective, then show them doing it on their side of the story, like with Falco's comm. conversations. And yeah, it was murder. Up till four in the morning. Luckily for me, it was a weekend. I'll go for more tens!!!


	3. The Hands of Fate

Chapter 3: The Hands of Fate

(The Great Fox Bridge)

"Wait. General. What the heck are you talking about!? Rival ANDROSS!? I don't think that's possible." Fox exclaimed.

"It's true, Fox. Lately, we've been informed that terrorist attacks have been occurring in nearly all areas of Lylat." the General explained.

"What!? How can that be? This is the first I've heard of it!" Fox said, shocked to hear such devastating news.

"That's it, Fox. We've been keeping this information under wraps because, the terrorists, their identities, they were normal citizens, many of them never had any marks on record, not even a traffic ticket."

"Ok, General, tell us the real reason you called us here. This has to be a joke" Falco said, assuming that the General was trying to pull something on them.

"It's no joke, Falco. We've got contacts telling us that there are even members of the group within Corneria. We need you, Team StarFox, to learn the identities of this group. We need to know their names, their objectives, and their means. We've got several of them in custody. Come to my office and I'll brief you further there. General Pepper, over and out." the General finished, his holographic head disappearing in a blink of light.

"Sounds serious. We better be ready for this group. Ok, everyone get set and ready, we're heading for the Cornerian Command Building in five minutes, gather what you need and head for the door." Peppy instructed.

"What could be causing this, Fox?" Krystal asked, concern resonating in her eyes.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I'm going to stop it. I can't let innocent people get hurt, I said I wouldn't." Fox returned, showing the determination in his eyes to Krystal.

"And I'll be there to help you." Krystal said, smiling in his direction.

"Thanks Krystal, I know I'll need everyone's help with this."

"Hey, you two. Are you coming or not!?" Falco said, his head in the doorway.

"Ugh."

"Coming Falco." Krystal said for Fox. "Come on, Fox, let's go."

"Fine."

Fox went to his room. It was a simple enough room, bed, drawer, closet, and a shower/bathroom off to the right. He pulled his backpack out of his closet, put it on his bed, and stuffed it with the essentials he always brought on a mission: A medical kit, a blaster, his translator, a water bottle, and several different types of dehydrated food for rations. His provisions set, he went for the door. As he passed his drawer, he noticed something shimmering, reflecting the ceiling lights. He went over to it, it was the StarFox Emblem, the one he had received all those years ago. One side was slightly glossier than the other. As he remembered why it was, a wave of pride washed over him. He picked it up and placed it in his shirt pocket.

"Who knows, it might come in handy again."

(Outside the Cornerian Hangars)

"Alright, team, time to head out." Peppy said, leading the rest of the group.

"Gotcha, Gramps"

The team started down the sidewalk, heading towards the Cornerian Command Building. The building was several blocks away from the hangars. It took another five minutes for the team to reach the building.

Once inside, the team marveled at the interior of the building. It was still exciting to see the building in all of its grandeur. The lobby, reaching up to two stories, resembled that of a hotel. Many different animals could be seen walking in and out of the different portals on the upper floors. At the front of the entrance was the reception desk. Behind it, sat 3 animals, a dog, a bear, and a lynx. The dog was the first to greet them. She had a wireless earpiece around her left ear, and she smelled of paper that was just recently printed. She greeted the team with a gleaming smile.

"Ah, Team StarFox, we've been expecting you. The General said you'd be coming about right now. You know the protocol." she turned around. "Horstann, please escort Team StarFox up to the General, please."

As soon as she asked, the bear stood up.

"Of course, please, Team StarFox, follow me if you would." the bear said in a gentle voice, leading the team behind the reception desk to the elevators behind them. The bear took the card hanging around his neck and swiped it down the card slot, then pushed the up button on the elevator. In seconds the elevator came down, opening up for the team and Horstann. They all stepped on, and Horstann entered the floor number for General Pepper's room. The elevator door closed, pulling up immediately.

As the elevator went up, another animal entered the building. It was a husky, and it wore a hat and an overcoat, which was odd, considering it was the middle of summer on Corneria. Both the hat and overcoat were green. A noticeable part of the coat was an insignia, depicting a yellow-hand, with an open eye in the center, that sat upon the right part of the chest. The husky walked up to the front desk and was greeted by the dog.

"Good morning, sir. Do you have an appointment here today?" the dog asked, flashing her brilliantly white teeth again.

"I'd…like to see General Pepper." the husky muttered.

"Sorry, he's in a meeting at the moment. If you could show me your identification, I can tell him you came by." the dog asked, ready to type in the needed information on her computer.

"I said I'd…like to…see the General." the husky repeated, adding a certain sternness to his voice.

"I told you, sir, he's in a meeting. But I can-"

"I WANT TO SEE THE GENERAL!!!"

(Inside the elevator)

The crew stood in the large elevator, which was slightly crowded now due to the large stature of Horstann. As they elevator climbed steadily upward, Horstann's gentle voice piped up.

"It is good to see the StarFox Team alive and well. I really appreciate what you do for us on such frequent occasions. I am truly in your debt." Horstann said, sounding as if he would bow any second, which consequently, would result in Falco's face being pressed up against the wall.

"Well, we do our best." Fox said modestly.

"No, really, there's much that is owed is to you. If anytime you ever require assistance and it within my jurisdiction, please, do not hesitate to ask." Horstann offered.

The elevator then dinged. The doors opened. They had reached floor 56, General Pepper's Offices.

"Here is where I take my leave. I wish you luck in whatever it is the General asks of you, Team StarFox." Horstann excused as the team filed out of the elevator. The door closed, Horstann's large face beaming as the door shut completely. The light above the elevator showing what floor he was on as it descended steadily.

"He was quite polite." Krystal said as the team walked down the hallway towards the General's office.

"I haven't seen him here before, he must be new." Peppy said, racing through his memory to see if he recognized Horstann's face.

"Well, here we are." Fox said, stopping in front of the door labeled 'General Pepper'.

Fox knocked on the door, waiting for a response.

"Yes? Who is it?" a voice behind the door asked.

"Team StarFox, General." Fox announced.

"Ah, yes, come on in."

Fox opened the door and the group filed in. General Pepper sat in a high-back chair, a large window showing the Cornerian Skyscrapers behind him. He was facing the window, but turned around when he heard the team enter.

"Team StarFox, thank you for coming so quickly." the General began.

"No problem, General. So, about that briefing…" Fox jumped to the point.

"Yes, of course. As I told you before, we have several of the terrorists in custody. We'd like you, Fox, to question one of them to see if you can find out what he knows about their organization." the General said, tossing a file onto the desk. "His name is Anthony Cooper. Worked as a salesman for one of the companies that are on Katina. Recently blew up a military base on Katina using Class-3 explosive charges. Nothing on his record before this. We have no idea why he did what he did or how he obtained those charges. We need you to interrogate him as soon as possible."

"Of course, General." Fox said, saluting.

"Good, take this elevator down to the holding chambers." the General said, inputting a couple of key presses on his desk. An elevator appeared in the wall to the right. "Good Luck, Fox."

"Thanks, General."

The team filed into this new elevator. As it went down, the team was silent. An air of apprehension hung in the air. The elevator opened and the team entered into the holding area. There were several glass windows down a long hallway, showing blank, square rooms, each containing a different animal behind its surface. Cornerian Soldiers stood at the entrance to each holding cell. When they reached the door with Anthony Cooper upon the door, Fox moved to enter.

"Take this, Mr. McCloud." the nearby soldier offered, giving Fox an earpiece. "It's to communicate with us out here."

"Thank you." Fox replied as he opened the door fully.

"Be careful, Fox. We're right outside here if you need us." Krystal reminded him.

"Thanks, Krystal." Fox said and closed the door behind him.

(Cornerian Command Main Lobby)

Horstann waited patiently as the elevator descended. Going back to work was something he didn't quite look forward to.

"Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork." Horstann sighed.

When the elevator door opened, however, he was greeted by an unnatural silence. Most of the time, animals could be seen wandering every inch of the building. Horstann could still see animals, but they were just standing there. Cautious about his predicament, Horstann slowly approached behind the reception desk, extending his head out slightly. He saw a clothed animal reaching his arm out at an animal at the desk. When he peered out further, he saw Kim, the dog, and Mordecai, the Lynx, with their hands raised, a look of fear upon their faces. When he looked at the animal's arm, he saw a blaster, with his finger trembling on the trigger.

"I know…the layout of the…building. I know…in order…to see the General, I need a key…card. Now, give…me…the KEYCARD!!!" the animal yelled, raising the blaster up to Kim's head. She flinched, and reached below the table. She pushed a button, activating the speaker connecting to General Pepper's office.

"General, there's a…AN INTRUDER IN THE BUILDING, CALL FOR HE-" Kim screamed into the speaker, until the husky blew out the speaker.

"NOOOO!!! NOW YOU DIE!!!" the husky yelled, raising the blaster back up to Kim's head, pulling the trigger.

"NOO!!!" Mordecai roared, diving over the desk counter, reaching for the blaster, only to have the blaster point at him and blast him through the chest, leaving him to drop to the ground, limp.

"MORDECAI!!!" Kim shrieked.

Horstann took this opportunity to bum-rush the intruder. He ran out from behind the desk and ran headlong into the intruder, knocking them both to the ground, the blaster falling out of the husky's hand. The two continued to struggle on the ground, Horstann punching the husky in the face. All the husky did was laugh. Horstann then struggled to his feet, lifting the husky up at the same time, then he tossed him into the wall, off to the left. The husky hit the wall with a thud, and fell to the ground. Horstann, gasping for air, walked over to the reclining husky, to see if he still posed a threat. When Horstann was only a couple of feet away from the intruder, he jumped back to life, laughing. He opened his coat to reveal a bomb secured to his body.

"We may not have gotten what we wanted, but we will get our message across! The Hands of Lylat will soon take over!" the husky yelled.

Horstann, seeing the bomb, began running in the opposite direction.

"MOVE!!! EVERYBODY MOVE!!!! GET DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!" Horstann yelled at the on-looking animals.

At that moment, the husky detonated the bomb, sending Horstann up in the air, smacking against the opposite wall. All of the windows in the room shattered, the shards of glass cascading to the ground in the firestorm of destruction.

(The Holding Cells)

Fox entered the room and took a seat at the lone table in the room. He sat opposite a retriever, who nervously glanced back and forth at his unfamiliar surroundings, unsure of his predicament.

"Are you Anthony Cooper?" Fox began.

The retriever focused on Fox. "Y-yes."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"N-no. All I remember was being in a bar, then I remembering things going black, like I was falling asleep, but I didn't feel sleepy. Now I wake up here. Wh-where am I?" the retriever continued, resuming his nervous glances.

"You're on Corneria, apparently you've been involved in some acts of terrorism as of late." Fox informed Anthony.

"Corneria!? TERRORISM!? I don't know what you're talking about."

"It says on your file that you just recently blew up the Katinan High Fields Point Military Base. You used Class-3 explosive charges to damage the main infrastructure of the base. Now how did you go about doing this?" Fox asked.

"WHAT!? I don't know what you're talking about! I told you what I did remember, I was at the town bar, blacked out, then woke up here!" the retriever insisted.

"Why were you at the bar, meeting someone there?" Fox asked.

"No, my wife divorced me recently, about a week ago, May third." the husky informed Fox.

Now Fox looked puzzled. "May third? It's July eighteenth, Anthony."

"That can't be…I remember clearly, it was on the news! I remember it said that the stocks dropped on May third! I wouldn't dare forget!" the retriever said in a confused manner.

"One second please." Fox said as he turned around, his hand covering his mouth. "Krystal, are you reading anything on this guy?"

"Nothing, Fox, he's telling you the truth. His brain waves aren't fluctuating." Krystal informed Fox.

Suddenly, a message came from an intercom on the wall. General Pepper's face appeared instantly, a look of concern on his face.

"Soldiers, get up to the first floor lobby now! We have a situation!!" the General yelled.

The soldiers followed the orders immediately, entering into the elevators.

"A situation?" Slippy asked.

Falco, intrigued by this new message, started making his way towards the elevators.

"I'm gonna go check this out. You guys stay here. I'll be right back." Falco said, dashing down the hallway.

"FALCO! Wait! Ugh, he's gone." Peppy sighed.

"Keep going, Fox, you're doing good." Krystal reassured Fox in a shaky voice, concerned about Falco's leave.

"So the last thing you remember doing was over two months ago?" Fox asked, getting back on topic.

"Yes, if it really is July eighteenth, oh, what did I do to deserve this!?"the retriever asked. "First my wife, and my kids, probably my job, and now my TIME!?"

At that moment, the whole holding cell shook. Outside in hallway shook as well, causing the lights on the ceiling to sway back and forth.

The retriever suddenly turned very pale, then he started shuddering.

"FOX!!! SOMETHING'S ATTACKING HIS MIND!!! HE'S NOT HIMSELF ANYMORE!!!" Krystal yelled into the intercom.

"Ah, yes the plan has been set into action. The die has been cast. The hands of fate are being moved by the Hands of Lylat. Soon all will be in the palms of our hands!" Anthony yelled out, a blank look in his eye. He shuddered again, and fainted.

Fox left the room immediately, instructing the remaining soldiers to look after the fainted retriever.

"What just happened?" he asked as he met up with the others.

"I don't know. But, I'm worried about Falco…" Peppy said, worrying what possible situation the avian could be in at the moment.

(General Pepper's Office)

The General reclined in his high-back chair as he saw the elevator doors close and begin to descend. He sighed as he contemplated the current events of his unnatural predicament. He picked up two of the files on his desk, each explaining a different event that had been brought to his attention.

"Aircraft hangar demolished on Titania. Cornerian Supply Route raided near Fichina…what is the reason for these attacks?" the General asked himself. "Hopefully, Fox can get something out of Cooper…"

As the General was lost in thought, a communication link opened to the reception desk.

"General, there's a…AN INTRUDER IN THE BUILDING, CALL FOR HE-" was all the General heard before he heard the sound of a blaster fire, then static.

"AN INTRUDER!? The General switched his communications link to the lower levels.

"Soldiers, get up to the first floor lobby now! We have a situation!!" the General ordered. He waited a few moments then proceeded to his own elevator and went to the lobby.

(Holding cell elevator)

Falco was waiting for the door to open, apprehension gripping his mind. He was standing amongst the soldiers, who were also apprehensive about a "situation" occurring right here on Corneria.

"_Come on, damn elevator! Move faster!" _Was all Falco could think as he impatiently began tapping his foot.

When the doors finally opened, all of the soldiers rushed out. Falco went out alongside them. The lobby looked normal, and Falco could see Horstann. He was slightly ragged and was running towards the opposite wall, yelling something. Falco looked down to see what exactly he was running from. He saw a limp body on the ground. The lower torso seemed paralyzed, but the upper part was shaking. He looked up at the animal's head, it was laughing. He had his coat open. What Falco saw on the animal's body made his eyes dilate.

"Son of a b-" Falco gasped out as he was sent flying backwards into the wall.

As Falco was sailing backwards, he saw the soldiers in front of him fall over in slow-motion, as if the whole scene was being shown to him in a demented clip-show. The whole lobby was tinted a dark red color, and chunks of debris could be seen flying into the air. Falco hit the wall behind him and fell unconscious.

(Holding cell elevator #2)

The remainder of Team StarFox rode the elevator up, each one of them concerned about the blast they heard earlier.

"What could have caused that noise?" Slippy asked.

"I don't know, but you said Falco went up before the explosion?" Fox asked instead.

"Yes, he went up after the General gave out a message to the soldiers about an incident occurring in the lobby." Krystal informed Fox.

"That doesn't sound too good." Fox concluded. "Let's just hope Falco wasn't there when that thing went off."

(The General's Elevator)

"Now we're getting attacked here!?" Those creatures think they can get away with attacking our stronghold!? They've got another thing coming if that's what they think." the General incited himself.

He watched the numbers above the elevator doors, a light shining behind each number as the elevator went down. 6…5…4…3…2…

"Here we are." the General said.

Just as the light was about to shine on the one, the whole elevator shuddered, causing it to rock back and forth in its shaft. Suddenly, the lights inside the large elevator, blinked, then went out.

"What in the name of Corneria is going on!?" the General yelled.

He waited a couple of moments, and when it became apparent that nothing was going to happen, the General took out his blaster.

"Try and keep me in here, will you? JUST TRY!!!" the General yelled, aiming his blaster at the bottom of the door.

The General shot several shots at the door, tearing away tiny little parts of the metal with each shot. Finally, the metal door gave way, creating a small hole that led out into the elevator shaft.

"Time for the hard-part."

The General knelt down to the hole he created and shoved his fingers into it. He started pulling off to one side, struggling intensely to get an effect out of the doors. After a while, the door finally squeaked slightly, sliding two centimeters to the right. The General relaxed his grip and sat upon the ground.

"Accursed door…open!" the General panted. The General began to think of an easier way to open the door. He checked his person for a sturdy object. He found nothing.

"Oh well, guess I better use this." the General concluded, taking the point of his blaster and shoved it into the gap. He pushed on the handle, the door creaking even more than before.

"Come on, blaster, hold…" the General encouraged.

The door creaked more and more, sliding inch by inch, until it finally slid it a reasonable gap.

"Time to get out of here."

The General looked down the shaft to see the door. The door to the lobby was a few inches away, except it was closed. Luckily, the General knew of a fail-safe button located on the inside of each floor-elevator door. The General looked down the gap further. He saw a dark expanse open below him, leading down to the building's basement floors.

"Better not slip." the General said to himself.

He swung his legs down into the gap in the elevator door. He counted to three, then on three, shoved himself into the door of the first floor. He grasped the side of the door, his feet barely fitting on the edge of the door alcove. The General immediately reached for the button on the side. The moment the door opened the General fell onto the ground of the lobby.

He looked around at the lobby. There were several fires going on around the whole room. There were chunks of rocks lying scattered on the ground before him. He looked forward to see the body of a large animal lying on the ground. To his right were the other elevators, with a couple of bodies strewn the ground before them. Standing next to those bodies was a figure standing there. When the General focused his vision, he saw the figure standing there to be Peppy.

"Peppy, what happened here?" the General asked, getting to his feet.

(Holding cell elevator #2)

As the elevator reached the first floor, the team ran out immediately into the lobby. What they saw shocked them. The once extravagant lobby was now demolished, its lavish decorations now ablaze and falling apart. Before them, they saw the soldiers that had rushed out of the holding area.

"Where's Falco?" Slippy asked, looking around.

When Slippy looked to the right of their elevator, he saw Falco lying upon the ground.

"AAAGHH!!!! FALCO!!!!" Slippy said, rushing over to Falco's body.

The whole team rushed over to their teammate.

"Hey, Falco! Are you alright!? WAKE UP!!" Fox yelled at Falco, violently shaking his shoulders. After a couple seconds, Falco jerked awake, the back of his head throbbing.

"Ow, that frickin' hurt." Falco said, putting his hand on the back of his head.

"Oh, thank goodness." Peppy said looking around at the rest of the room now. "Now that Falco is safe, let's look for survivors and bring them over here. Krystal and Fox, you two take care of that. Slippy, find some fire extinguishers and take care of those fires. I'll look over everyone over here." Peppy instructed.

"Right." everyone said, going to their duties.

"Hey, Gramps…what about me?" Falco said, attempting to get to his feet.

"What!? Are you serious!? You were just knocked unconscious, you're lucky to be alive!"

"So. I think I'll help Slippy take care of those fires." Falco said, going towards the nearest fire extinguishers and headed towards the fires.

"Ugh, fine." Peppy said as Krystal pulled over the unconscious body of a soldier.

After several minutes, the team had extinguished most of the fires and collected a majority of the bodies. They found Kim, panicked but uninjured. They took her and the heavily breathing Mordecai over to Peppy.

"He was shot by a blaster." Fox told Peppy. "He needs medical attention now, he was bleeding a lot but it's mainly stopped now since Kim here cleaned him up."

"Ok then. I'll get my medical kit out. You keep getting people over here." Peppy assured Fox. He took the medical kit out of his backpack and started treating the blaster wound.

"Is he going to be alright?" Kim asked, sitting next to Mordecai.

"Yeah, it looks like he'll make it. He might not've had you not helped him." Peppy said, using a wet cloth to clean the remaining blood from around the wound.

"Oh, that's good, he saved me from being killed." Kim said.

"Then this guy right here's a hero." Peppy said, taking out bandages and beginning to wrap them around Mordecai's torso. "Could you hold him up?"

Kim did as instructed and Peppy wrapped up Mordecai. When Peppy had nearly finished, he heard his name called from behind him.

"Peppy, what happened here?"

Peppy turned around and saw General Pepper coming over to him.

"General, I'm not sure, we were in the holding area when we heard an explosion. Fox interrogated Cooper, but he just fainted after the explosion. We came up here and saw all of this." Peppy explained.

"There was an intruder, General." Kim said. "He said he wanted to see you, but then when I told you on the intercom, he got angry. Horstann, he got the upper-hand on him while he was distracted, and then an explosion went off while I couldn't see. OH NO!! WHERE'S HORSTANN!?"

"Don't worry, he's over here." Falco said as he and Fox carried Horstann over to the corner. "He's burned in some parts, and pretty bruised, but he'll live."

"General, I…took care of…the intruder." Horstann coughed as Fox and Falco set him on the floor.

"Good job, Horstann." the General thanked.

"He said something…before…before he activated the explosive. It was about something, like the 'Hands of Lylat' I think." Horstann said, remembering the speech the husky gave.

"Hands of Lylat? That's what Cooper said down in the holding cell." Fox informed the General.

"What exactly did he say?" Peppy asked.

"He said that 'The hands of fate are being moved by the Hands of Lylat. Soon everything will be theirs.' something like that." Fox said.

"Sounds like your interrogation went successful then." the General said. "This whole incident has something to do with these 'Hands of Lylat'. We'll look into this right away. In the meantime, finish cleaning up the damage. Kim call for the authorities."

"Ok." everyone said as they went off to do their jobs.

Outside the Command building, there stood two lone figures, standing in an alleyway. They wore the same jackets as the husky, the yellow-hand with the eye imprinted on the right.

"Message sent." one animal said into a communicator, looking at the fires that could be seen through the window. People were already gathered outside the range of the debris, and the authorities had just arrived.

"Good." said a voice from into the communicator. "Return back to base, now."

The two animals in the alleyway smiled malicious smiles, and turned and walked further into the alleyway.

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Author's Notes: Terrorism!!! The General can still kick ass!!! Time jumps!!! Action abounds!!! This chapter was fun to write, considering I got to do those point-of-view timeline parts again. The enemy is mobilizing. I'll probably get another chapter out soon, it's the weekend after all. I hope this picks up more fans soon, it'll get more intense later on.

Review Board:

- _paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-11-21 . chapter 2_

_Great chapter again! you never cease to amaze me. I need to convince my bro to add this to his C2._

Thanks, glad to see I have a fan now. Go ahead and talk to your bro, I could use more reviews. Thanks for your input. :]

Only one review? Come on people. Hopefully this chapter impresses some more people…


	4. Aftermath

Chapter 4: Aftermath

(Cornerian Command Building)

"That should do it." Peppy announced, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.

General Pepper had asked that any able-bodied person help clear the wreckage caused by the attack, and put out any remaining fires. After about an hour, the lobby looked somewhat reminiscent of its former glory, albeit with large burn marks in many areas, and a large gash now present in the floor, yet some parts of the lobby remained unscathed. Everyone that helped cleaned up were now exhausted, many of which now lay on the ground, panting. The Supply crew started passing around dust pans and brooms, to clear away the smaller debris. The StarFox team, already tired from their previous duties, not wanting to do anymore, hurried outside to where General Pepper was holding a press conference.

"General Pepper, Amy Sybak, Channel 7 news. Do you know who committed this crime and why?" one of the many reporters asked the General.

"We're not entirely sure, but we have reason to believe that the group's name is 'The Hands of Lylat'. They're a new terrorist group, and we should have reason to believe that this was an act of terrorism." the General stated.

"Henry Kwong, Channel 5, what exactly did the terrorist use to attack the building?" another avid reporter asked.

"It was a PBG, or Pulse-Blast Generator. It's a device that we in the military use, mainly as a means of deactivating mines. The device creates a field in which molecules split apart, causing a massive spread of energy. This energy wave then spreads outward, causing massive vibrations that form a large pulsing wave. This wave is strong enough to activate the mines in an area, thereby sparing soldiers that could be injured while trying to unearth mines. We usually drop this device in from the air, for the field in which molecules are separated can cause explosive rips with contact with certain molecules, so using this device in a populated area is unheard of. This terrorist group must have robbed one of our supply lines, for this device is only for use within distinct groups in the military." the General explained.

"General, what do you plan to do now?" a random voice asked in the back of the group. Team StarFox had just walked behind the General, catching his attention.

"I have decided to get Team StarFox on this mission. They will search out the whereabouts of these terrorists, and flush them out! Good luck, Team StarFox!" the General yelled for the crowd to hear. Everybody that heard the statement began cheering for their heroes. The team could only stand there as they received applause and cheers.

"Alright, good people. I have decided that this press conference is over, we now need to plan our next course of action." the General said, disbanding the group. "Come with me, if you would." the General asked the team, heading back into the building. The team followed.

"Ok, so now that Command is cleaned up, now what, sir?" Fox asked, looking around at the lobby.

"You're right Fox, it's about time we start you out on your mission. I know the perfect place to start. You're to go out to one of the planets we believe will become a target of one of these terrorist attacks. It's called Jatria. Our troops situated there have recorded strange activities in a couple of citizens. The people there are civilized, they had some technology before we made contact with them, a couple years ago. It has just recently been accepted under Cornerian protection. It has valuable resources there, and strategic location next to Sector X. We recently set up an outpost there, that should be your first stop. Go there and find out anything you can. That hole in your ship should be fixed by the time you get there. Now get going!" the General ordered.

"Yessir." Fox saluted.

(Cornerian Hangars)

The crew had left the Command building and rushed back to the Great Fox.

"It's about time we did something!" Falco said, ecstatic at the prospect of adventure.

"Let's go team." Fox said, running out of the elevator, taking seat in his captain's chair on the bridge.

He pressed a couple of buttons on his armrest.

"Engines ready?"

"Set to go." Slippy called out.

"G-Diffusor functioning?"

"Yes, get this heap up already." Falco complained.

"Ok, ROB, start it up." Fox commanded.

"Affirmative." Rob said, utilizing his virtual keyboard to activate the ship.

A screen pulled down next to Fox, showing two Cornerian soldiers standing behind a control console.

"Ok, guys, open up the hangar." Fox told the soldiers.

"Yessir, Mr. McCloud." the soldiers said, pushing buttons on the console.

In moments, hangar doors opened up, and the Great Fox pulled up. Animals upon the street stopped and looked up at the large mechanical beast as it tilted towards the heavens.

"Go!" Fox said.

The ship's engines roared, pushing it up towards the sky. In seconds, they were exiting the Cornerian atmosphere, entering the void of space. General Pepper's face appeared in a hologram as they reached space.

"General, we made it out." Fox told the General.

"Good. I hate to ask this Fox, but I'm going to need you to head to Jatria without using the Orbital Gate." the General informed the team. "We only just finished reparations to the gate, we haven't had time to test run it yet."

"YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO FLY ALL THE WAY PAST SECTOR X!?" Falco exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Don't worry General, we don't mind." Fox said, holding back a laugh at Falco's frustration.

"Good, report back when you reach Jatria. Good Luck Team StarFox." the General said, his head disappearing once again.

"He can't be serious." Falco said, frustrated at the thought of having to fly all the way to the distant planet.

"Oh come on, Falco. It'll be just like the good ol' days." Fox reassured.

"You mean the days when a crazed scientist was trying to take over the entire System, and we were lucky just to make it from one planet to the next?"

"Exactly."

"Oh joy." Falco sighed sarcastically.

(The Living Area)

"I don't see what's Falco's problem, I always enjoy flying." Krystal said, sitting upon the couch. "I always enjoy watching the stars float by like little fireflies."

"Eh, Falco's just impatient, he always wants to do things quickly. I think he likes the rush of doing things fast." Fox explained, sitting upon the couch with Krystal

"I think he does some things too fast." Krystal said to Fox, letting her head rest upon his lap.

Fox started getting a little nervous, Krystal still didn't know everything about boundaries, not to mention when she would cross the norm. But he didn't mind. He enjoyed it.

"Yeah, he was always like that. When we were fighting Andross, he'd take out a large number of fighters, but then he'd have the rest chasing after him, with him calling for help. Then, after I saved him, he'd say something like 'That stupid G-Diffusor bugged up!' or something like that." Fox told Krystal, remembering the "good ol' days".

"Sounds dangerous…" Krystal said.

"Nah, unlike those goons working for Andross, our ships were more stable, and we know when we were beaten. If our shields got too low, we retreated back to the Great Fox."

"Oh, good. It's nice to know we have somewhere to go back to." Krystal said, remembering Cerinia.

"Hey, you're not alone anymore. You have us. You have me. Ok?" Fox reassured her.

"That's right. And I'll be here to help you, too, Fox." Krystal said, cheering up.

(The Kitchen)

"Those two make a good couple, dontcha think, Peppy?" Slippy asked, looking out at the two vulpines from the Kitchen.

"Yep, if only James could see this. He'd be so proud, his son growing up." Peppy sighed.

"Aw, come on, Peppy. You should be proud, too. You practically raised Fox! You even brought him to school everyday, remember?" Slippy said.

"Yes, Slippy, I remember. I'm just saying, I'm not Fox's father. If only I had done more, maybe James would have made it out." Peppy sighed again.

"Peppy, don't worry yourself. I'm sure whatever you did was sufficient enough. It's really Pigma's fault, anyway." Slippy reassured Peppy.

"I know, but I should have seen it coming!" Peppy detracted. "But enough about that, let's get dinner started."

"Oh, yeah, I just realized, I'm starving! We only had breakfast today, ohh." Slippy said, grasping his stomach.

(Falco's room)

_Well, here we are, leaving Corneria again. And after I saw you, too. But I can't even really be sure if it was you. You just keep getting away, don't you? You pop in, say 'Hey Falco' and leave. It's been how many years? Nine? But, I guess that's what I did to you. It's only fair, I suppose._

Falco fell backwards onto his bed and sighed.

"I hate what I did, but I did it for you." Falco said to the ceiling.

Suddenly, the comm. link next to his door sparked up. Fox's face in the living area showed up.

"Hey, Falco, time to eat." Fox said, the link disconnecting.

Falco sighed and got up.

(The Living Area)

"Food is served." Peppy said, bringing out plates of food.

Falco just walked in the door, returning to his usual demeanor, so as to not alarm his teammates.

"Hey, it's not burned." Falco said. "What, you trip and fall unconscious, Froggy?"

"Hey, Falco, I cook better than you." Slippy shot back defensively.

"Yeah, but you also burn things better than I do, too."

"Come on guys, use your mouths for eating. I'd rather not hear your bickering right now." Fox said to the two, taking in a mouthful of food.

"Fine." the two said.

ROB had just walked into the room, performing maintenance checks on the various parts of the ship.

"Oh, good. Hey ROB, what's the estimated time to Jatria?" Fox asked past his mouthful.

ROB turned towards Fox. "Estimated time to Jatria: 14 hours, 32 minutes."

"Wow, that close already? Those guys did a pretty nice job on this new ship." Falco said, impressed.

"See, now do you realize how pointless your complaining was?" Fox asked.

"Hey, it wasn't pointless! Remember how much it sucked just to reach Katina before?" Falco retorted.

"Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and finish eating." Fox told Falco. Krystal and Slippy smiled at Falco's defeat.

(The Bridge)

After everyone finished dinner, Fox went up to the bridge to check out the features upon the new ship. It was still so new to him, it would take a while for him to get accustomed to this ship. He was checking the communications link when he saw it's signal meter start wavering. It steadily headed down, this concerned Fox. He turned on his wrist comm., which had an internal radio-wave generator, to call ROB.

"Hey, ROB, what's wrong with the communications signal?" Fox asked the robot.

"Great Fox has just entered static field, communications will be down until Great Fox exits field." the robot explained to Fox.

"How long until we pass the field?"

"Estimated time: 2 hours, 7 minutes."

"Great." Fox said to himself. He continued to familiarize himself with the new controls.

(The Arwing Hangars)

Falco decided to head down to the Arwing hangars after dinner. He didn't quite feel like interacting with the rest of the crew just yet. He inspected the interior of the new ship, noting all the subtle designs.

"Larger than our old home…" Falco said, looking at the size of the hangar. It easily trebled the size of the last one. Besides the port for each member's Arwing, plus the spare Arwing, there were four extra ports, easily able to take in other ships for docking. Falco went up to his own Arwing, inspecting it. It was dinged and dirty, showing the many battles it had survived throughout the years.

"At least you're still here with me." Falco said. "You've been with me for a long time."

He remembered the time when he left the StarFox team, six years after the defeat of Andross. He delved into his memory, remembering the scenes of his departure, a spectator to the events.

"Falco, don't go. Come on." Fox said to him.

"I don't want to hear it McCloud." Falco said back.

"What else can you expect during a time of peace?" Peppy asked.

"I don't know, but I know there's better stuff out in the universe right now. Who knows? I might go save some kid's pet that got stuck in a tree! I betcha it'd be more exciting than this! Open the docking bay port, ROB." Falco said, entering the Arwing hangar.

"Affirmative." the robot said, typing in the commands.

"See ya guys in the universe, maybe." Falco said, climbing into the Arwing.

"You're seriously leaving?" Fox asked.

"Yeah. I'm leaving." Falco answered.

"Then, take this, you forgot it on your desk." Fox said, tossing a shiny object up to the open cockpit.

Falco caught it and looked at it. It was his StarFox emblem.

"I didn't forget it. I don't need it anymore. I'm no longer part of Team StarFox. You keep it." Falco said, tossing it back down.

Fox tossed it back up. "No, you keep it. It might help you one day. And besides, you're going to need it again one day. We don't make new ones." Fox told Falco, a forceful look in his eye. "See ya soon, Falco."

"Meh." Falco said, as he flew off into space.

Falco returned back to the docking bay. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the emblem.

"Damn, he was right." Falco said, and sighed.

He looked out towards the expanse of space beyond the docking bay. The forcefield kept the vacuum of space from sucking out the air, as well as anyone inside. It also kept anyone clumsy enough to fall down from going into the void, albeit it was incredibly hard to get them back up. Falco looked out to the stars, trying to count them as the ship roared through space. He then noticed something strange. It stood out whenever it passed in front of one of the stars. It was getting closer. Falco was soon able to focus upon it when it was closer: it was a lone ship.

"That doesn't look too good." Falco said. He turned on his wrist communicator and tried connecting to the ship.

"Hey, unidentified ship. Identify yourself." Falco said in a clumsy manner, never good at ship-to-ship protocol. He waited a minute, nothing happening. He tried switching frequencies and asked again. Nothing. The ship continued to get closer.

"That's it, it's got to be an enemy." Falco concluded. "The ship's alarm didn't go off, it must be using a stealth device."

Falco jumped into the cockpit of his Arwing, opened the docking bay doors, and flew out. He fired a warning laser, barely missing the ship. The ship then turned around and started flying off.

"It's gotta be a scout." Falco said, giving pursuit.

Fox then appeared on Falco's wrist comm.

"Falco! What're you doing!?" Fox asked.

"There's an enemy scout out here!" Falco answered.

"What?"

"Yeah, I think it's using a stealth device. It wouldn't respond when I called out to it."

"Falco, we're in a static field right now. It couldn't answer you if it wanted to." Fox said.

Suddenly, the ship turned around and fired off a shot. Falco, however, was too busy talking to Fox to notice. The shot clipped the side of Falco's Arwing.

"Its firing at me now! I'm pretty sure it's an enemy!" Falco said.

"Falco wa-" Fox yelled, but Falco disconnected the link and boosted after the ship. The ship turned around again and started flying off. It never left the radius of the Great Fox.

"So you're after the Great Fox, huh?" Falco asked, shooting at the ship. It deftly dodged back and forth, doing a barrel roll to throw off the shots it couldn't dodge. The pilot was obviously trained.

"So you're no rookie, huh? I can still get ya, though." Falco said, boosting after the ship again.

(The Bridge)

Fox watched on the radar the little blue arrow fly back and forth. He'd then look out the bridge window to see what was going on.

_He just doesn't listen, does he?_

Fox worried that Falco was acting too rash again. He continued to watch the arrow as it flew back and forth on the radar.

"ROB! How long until we get communications back online!?" Fox demanded.

"Estimated time: 10 minutes." the robot said.

"Come on, Falco, don't be stupid."

(Outside the Great Fox)

Falco continued to pursue the ship. He shot laser after laser at it. Some of them connected. The other ship, however, didn't shoot back at all. He guessed that the ship was starting to experience system's failure.

"Just a little more." Falco said.

The ship then boosted towards the Great Fox.

"Oh no you don't!" Falco yelled after the ship, boosting after it.

The ship gradually pulled up, towards the top of the Great Fox. Then, in a swift movement, it flipped upside down, and boosted downwards, on the other side of the Great Fox.

"WAIT! THAT'S MY MOVE!!!" Falco yelled, pulling up as hard as he could, barely missing the newly patched part of the Great Fox's hull.

"That move is what made that hole last time!" Falco yelled.

Suddenly, he started receiving a transmission on his Arwing's comm.

"STOP SHOOTING AT ME, YOU IDIOT!!! I'M HERE TO HELP YOU!!!!" a female voice yelled.

"Katt!?" Falco responded, recognizing the voice.

"FALCO!? What the hell are you shooting at me for!?" Katt yelled.

"You shot me!" Falco yelled back.

"I thought you were a better pilot than to get hit by a warning shot!" Katt yelled. "Now can I come aboard? The General sent me out here. I'm getting low on fuel cells too."

"Uh, sure." Falco said, the two ships boosting towards the Great Fox.

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Author's Notes: The adventure starts!!! BARREL ROLLS!!!! YAY!!!! To those that may have realized, this adventure is a little Falco oriented. I know. I kinda like Falco. I think it has something to do with the fact that he was my sister's favorite character when we played StarFox 64. Don't worry, there's a little of everyone in here. I don't play favorites (yes I do). I also put up a new poll on my page. I just want to know which version of Katt you people prefer. It's not affecting the story, I'm telling you now. I, personally, like the Command Katt more than the 64 Katt. So the Command version is the one I'll be using for this story. You can go ahead and imagine the other one if you want. I don't mind. I'm just telling you that, when I write this story, the Command version is the one I'll have in mind. But enough about that. I'll probably chug out several more chapters starting Wednesday. I have the whole week off starting Wednesday. So look forward to more adventure in Paths of Contempt!

No reviews this time. You guys are getting lazy!


	5. Lost and Found

Chapter 5: Lost and Found

(Cornerian Academy)

The blue avian walked into the Academy, wiping the tears dripping from his eyes. He held out a sheet of paper in front of him, it described his class schedule.

_Room 203: Cornerian History._

The avian proceeded down the halls, looking for his classroom. When he walked past the water fountain, near the bathrooms, he heard the sounds of breathing close behind him. He turned around, expecting to see someone. He only saw the empty hallway he had just passed through.

"You've got sharp ears, dontcha?" a voice called out.

Falco turned around, looking at the direction of the voice. He could see a figure standing in the entrance to the girl's bathroom. The figure walked out into the light, revealing a young feline around his age. She was a brownish-gray color, and had penetrating blue eyes. She wore the school's female uniform, indicating she also went here, or stole the uniform off some unsuspecting girl.

"You new here, too?" the feline asked, walking closer towards the avian. "Most people are out today. You know. The tragedy and all that. I wouldn't be here myself, it's just that my mom made me come. You know, parents."

"Yeah, I know." Falco responded, remembering the subject of the fight in the car only moments ago.

"You're not much of a talker, are ya?" the feline asked, nearly rubbing against his shoulder as she circled him.

"Not to you." Falco said coldly.

"Ouch. And they say I have claws…I'm Katt, how 'bout you, handsome?" the feline said, holding out her hand.

Falco wasn't quite in the mood, but something about this girl made him start to forget his previous concerns.

"I'm Falco." he said, cautiously holding out his hand to meet hers. She took his up immediately, glad to have made a friend.

"Ok, Falco, where are ya headed right now?" Katt asked, snatching his schedule out of his hands. She pulled her schedule out of her shirt pocket and compared the two.

"Hey, give me that back!" Falco yelled, trying to grab his paper out of the feline's hands. She deflected him until she finished.

"Looks like you got the same classes I do! I think this school system groups all of us newbies together." Katt explained. "Come on, we can go together!"

Falco was then dragged by the hand, by Katt, all the way down the hall.

(The Great Fox)

Falco and Katt walked down the halls of the Great Fox, neither talking to each other. Falco had connected her ship to their onboard fuel cell pump and asked ROB to start repairing her ship.

Only Fox knew about the presence of the other ship, and the actions Falco took. The others had remained in the living area throughout the whole time Falco was in space. When Fox saw that Falco's ship had docked, he ran down to meet him.

"Falco, you didn't-" Fox stopped short.

"Hey, Foxy." Katt said. "How've you been?"

"Katt!? What're you doin' here!?" Fox asked, surprised to see her.

"Is that any way to greet a lady? First stupid here tries shooting me down before I even board, and then I'm questioned for my being here, as if I don't belong. You're just a bunch of savages out in space, aren't you?" Katt asked in response, acting prim.

"But, what _are_ you doing out here?" Fox asked.

"I was sent by General Pepper to help you guys out. He remembered that I was helpful during that fiasco with Andross, so he called me in." Katt explained, a pleasant smile on her face.

"Oh, ok." Fox said, calming down. "So, you said Falco shot at you, huh?" Fox asked, shooting a glare at Falco.

"Hey, hey. It was an honest mistake. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Falco asked.

"Since when do you say 'sorry'?" Fox joked.

"I think a couple hundred more times will suffice." Katt laughed.

"Uugh." Falco sighed.

"It's good to see you again, though, Falco." Katt said with sincerity, looking at Falco with her large, blue eyes.

He stared back, and just as he was about to say something, Slippy walked out of the living area, looking drowsy.

"Oh, hey, here you guys are. I was thinking I'd start to head for bed now." Slippy said, his eyes drooping. The top of his eyelids prevented him from seeing the extra figure present in the hallway with them.

"Hey, there, Tads." Katt said, her attention now focused on Slippy.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that, Falco." Slippy said, looking up. "AAAGH!!! Katt!!!"

"It's good to see you, too." Katt said for him.

"What're you doin' here?"

"Is that all you guys ever care about? Can't it just be: 'Hello, Katt. How are you Katt? Pleasant day floating in this heap of metal, careening towards a planet we've never seen before, isn't it, Katt? Weren't we all friends before, at one time?'" she asked.

That moment, Krystal walked out of the living area, hearing Slippy's scream before.

"Slippy, are you alright?" Krystal asked as she exited the doorway. "Oh, hello. I don't believe we've met."

Katt pulled Falco aside for a moment. "Who's this dame?" Katt asked.

"This is Krystal, our new recruit. I'm sure you've heard about her before, when we rid the System of aparoids." Falco said, trying to get Katt to play along.

"Oh, so this is Krystal! It's very nice to meet you. I'm Katt, an old acquaintance of these jerks here. It's nice to finally meet someone with manners on this ship." Katt said, holding out her hand.

Krystal took it and they shook.

"Very nice to meet you." Krystal said.

"Come on, Katt, you need to see Peppy again. He's probably in the Kitchen right now." Falco said, opening the door for everyone.

"Hey, thanks Falco. You should do this more often." Slippy said, walking back into the living area.

"Eh, shut your trap and keep moving." Falco said gruffly.

"Falco seems…different, doesn't he?" Krystal asked Fox after they passed through the doorway.

"Yeah, but that's just the way he is." Fox explained, looking back as Falco held the door open for Katt.

"Thanks, Falco." Katt said, walking past him.

After she walked in, Falco let the door close and followed the rest of the team in.

"Hey, Peppy! Someone's here to see you!" Fox yelled into the Kitchen.

"Wh-wus that?" Peppy asked, coming out of the Kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a bowl filled with that night's dinner.

"Hey, Peppy." Katt said. "Nice apron."

"Wait. I recognize that voice…wait a second." Peppy said, taking his glasses from around his collar, putting them on. "Oh, my. Is that you, Katt!?"

"Yeah, it's me. Come here." Katt said, going up the stairs to the Kitchen. Peppy put down the bowl and removed the apron and gave Katt a hug.

"I haven't seen you in a while." Peppy said, moving back into the Kitchen.

"Yeah, I know." Katt said.

"So, are you just visiting, or is there something else to this visit?" Peppy inquired, raising his eyebrow in question.

"I've come here under the orders of General Pepper. I'm supposed to help you guys out on your mission." Katt said. "Although, the General kinda skimped on the details. He said I'd be helping out some mercenaries. He didn't say it'd be you guys."

"Well, we're glad to have ya on the team." Fox said.

ROB's voice perked up on the ship's intercom at that moment.

"Estimated time upon arrival into Jatria's Orbit: 7 hours, 45 minutes. I suggest that the team commence REM Sleep soon." the metallic voice clanged, echoing throughout all parts of the Great Fox.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty long day, we should get some sleep now." Fox stated.

Slippy yawned. "Oh yeah, I'm getting pretty tired right now. I might fall asleep here."

"That'd be pleasant." Falco said under his breath, looking off to a corner.

Slippy shrugged it off, not in the mood nor having enough energy to think of a comeback.

Slippy headed for the door, followed by Krystal and Fox, then Peppy. Leaving Falco and Katt the last ones in the room.

"Hey, where do I sleep?" Katt asked.

"Oh, we got a guest room somewhere in this here hunk of junk." Falco said.

He led her down the darkened hallways of the Great Fox. They checked room after room, but couldn't find the guest rooms.

"You'd think a ship this big would have a guest room within a plausible distance." Falco said, scratching his head. He turned on his wrist communicator.

"ROB, hey, ROB!!!" Falco yelled into the screen. Instead of the robotic face of ROB showing up, an animation illustrating a robot asleep in a bed with large Zs coming from the robot appeared instead.

"Great. The robot shuts down once in every **two** weeks, and today has to be the day he decides to take a snooze." Falco said, frustrated.

"It's ok, Falco. I'll sleep in the living area tonight. G'night." Katt said, walking away. Falco waited a moment, then called after her.

"No, Katt, you take my room. I'll sleep on the couch." Falco said.

"Thanks, Falco. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to make something up to me." Katt accused Falco.

"So what if I am?"

"Well, it's very sweet." Katt said. She walked towards his room. As she passed him, she gave him a peck on his cheek. "See ya tomorrow."

Falco watched her walk towards his room, and he turned around, heading to the living area.

(Cornerian Academy)

"Now Fox, you're sure you're ok with this?" Peppy turned around, asking the young vulpine. He already had his seat unbuckled and was opening the door.

"Yeah, of course I am." Fox responded. "I'm doing it for daddy!"

"He'd be so proud, his son joining the Cornerian Academy, just like he did." Peppy said, starting to tear up.

"See you after school, Peppy!" Fox called out, dashing towards the school entrance. It was cloudy out, but he didn't mind. The StarFox emblem upon his school uniform glinted in the cloudy morning light.

"Have fun at school!" Peppy called from the car. He watched as the young vulpine entered the through the Academy doors, then pulled away.

(The Great Fox Living Area)

Falco lay strewn upon the couch, his head resting on the armrest. This tilted angle allowed him to easily gaze out at the stars that passed by.

_I didn't think I'd be so happy to see her. It was me that ended it in the first place. I shouldn't care this much. I made a decision, a hard one. But I did it for her safety. But, it seems like she can handle herself now, though. I wonder if she's just playing with me now… I never did explain my reasoning to her. I just left. She probably hates me inside. And to top it off, I SHOT at her. If that's not a billboard saying 'Go Away', I don't know what is._

Falco sighed, and continued to gaze out at the stars. It was peaceful, watching all of the stars drifting through space. It reminded him of her when he first saw her, back at the Academy. His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard the door open, and footsteps enter into the living area.

(Falco's Room)

Katt walked into the room, finally finding his name imprinted upon the door, a task not easily done in near pitch-darkness. She entered into his room, turning on the lights to see what was in the room. It wasn't much, a bed, a desk, a drawer, and off to the left, a bathroom. A window sat next to the desk, showing the endless void just outside the ship.

"At least he's not arrogant with that mercenary money." Katt said to herself.

She went over to his bed and sat down.

"I can't fall asleep on his bed like this!" Katt said, looking at her clothes. She had worn these all day, from the time she got the call from the General, to the time she was nearly shot down. All the day's excitement had gotten her a bit worked up.

"And I left my bag back in the Cat's Paw!" Katt said, knocking herself on her forehead with her palm. She contemplated whether or not she should go get her bag or not. After a while she decided. She went out into the hallway, looking for any sign that she could recognize to get back down to the docking bay. She couldn't see a thing.

"This is going to be difficult."

She couldn't think of much else to do, so she walked down the hallway. When she reached the door imprinted with the words "Living Area", she thought to herself.

_Should I really ask him? He's obviously still annoyed with me. You heard him offer you his room. He's probably thinking 'What a smug bitch she is, waltzing in here, taking up space.'._

Katt sighed. She mustered up her courage and opened the door. She walked a couple of steps inward, looking for Falco was.

"Trouble sleeping?" a voice asked from the couch.

Katt jumped, her tail inflating several sizes larger.

"Uh, yeah. I didn't want to sleep on your bed in my street clothes." Katt explained. "I left my bag in my ship, too. You mind helping me out?" Katt asked.

Falco sat there, then got up.

"Sure." Falco said, leading the way. He walked down the hallway, Katt following closely behind. They then reached the green light that represented the docking bay.

"Is this the only room that has lights on all the time?" Katt asked.

"Just about." Falco said.

Katt went up to her ship and retrieved her bag. "Thanks, Falco."

"Yeah…yeah." Falco said with a yawn.

"Come on, you look like you could use some sleep." Katt said, pushing the avian ahead of her into the hallway. He led her back to the entrance of his room.

"Here ya go. G'night." Falco said.

"Falco, if you want, you can sleep in here. I don't mind. I could seriously sleep on the couch." Katt offered.

"No, Katt, I want you to sleep here. When we find the guest room, you can sleep in there. But for tonight, seriously, take my bed." Falco said, pushing the button to open the door. When the door opened, a luminescent green light shot out into the hallway.

"What's that?" Katt asked, walking into the room, trying to find the source of the light.

"I don't know." Falco responded, walking in after her.

Katt found the source of the light when she entered. It was coming from the window. When she went up to the window, she saw the source of the light.

"Is that Jatria?" Katt asked. The Great Fox had approached a large, green planet. The sun was reflecting off its surface, causing the planet to give off a bright green light.

"It's beautiful, isn't it Falco?" Katt asked, turning around. She saw Falco, asleep, his back against the wall.

"Really tired, huh?" Katt asked his unconscious body. "Come on."

She dragged his body over to his bed. "Sleep tight, big boy." She went over to his drawer to fetch a blanket for him. While walking over to the drawer, she noticed Jatria's light reflect off of something on his desk. It was a lock, placed upon one of the drawer's in the desk. Curious, Katt went over to it.

It took her only a second to pick the lock, using a pin she had in her bag. She opened the drawer. Inside was a single sheet of paper. She pulled it out, bringing it into a better light. It was a picture of the two of them, several years back, back when they still in the Academy. She stared at the picture for a while. When Falco stirred, she put it back in the drawer and locked it again. She got the blanket and draped it over Falco. She then went into the bathroom, finally able to clean up.

(The Great Fox – Morning)

Falco awoke with a nod. He felt warm, an odd sensation since the living area couch wasn't particular the best place to sleep. He opened his eyes. He was face down in a pillow. When he got up, he looked around. He was in his room.

_When did I get here?_

Suddenly, the comm. link next to Falco's door turned on, showing Fox's face once again.

"Hey, Falco, time to eat." Fox announced.

Falco left the room, confused.

_I thought I was sleeping in the living area?_

Falco entered the living area, everyone was stirring about, plates already set, waiting for the food to come out.

"About time you woke up!" Slippy said.

"Ready for the mission today?" Fox asked.

"Sure." Falco said. "Wait a sec. Where's Katt?"

"Over here." Katt said, entering the living area. She sat down across from Falco.

"Sleep well?" Katt asked.

"Yeah. What about you? Where'd you sleep?" Falco asked.

"Huh, me? In the guest room. Why?" Katt asked, tilting her head off to the side.

"N-nothing." Falco stammered.

"FOOD'S READY!!!" Peppy roared as he exited the Kitchen, Krystal following behind him with plates of food.

"Good, I'm ready to eat!" Slippy announced.

The team ate their food as quickly as they could. They were anxious to get to the planet. When they finished, they all went to the bridge, to announce their arrival at Jatria to the General. His head popped up again.

"Ah, Team StarFox! Made it to Jatria?" the General asked.

"Yessir, General. We'll be heading to the surface immediately." Fox said.

"Good. I forgot to mention. I sent over some help. Did she reach you al-" the General trailed off, Katt had stepped into view. "Ahh, Katt! If you're there, I assume you made it to Team StarFox in one piece, then?"

"You can assume all you want." Katt said, glancing at Falco.

"Ok, good. We need you to find these terrorists. All of Lylat may be in jeopardy again. Good luck StarFox." the General said, his head disappearing.

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Author's Notes: Intimate Chapter!! So much tension in the air tonight! I really like doing this. And I totally did this whole chapter in one day!!! Thank goodness for the faulty wiring in buildings. Total evacuation! Well, since I did this chapter at relatively short notice. I wouldn't expect reviews so soon. So, just telling you, the adventure starts next chapter. Jatria!! Planet of Mysteries!!! Not really, it's kinda straightforward. Wednesday's coming up, so that means, chapter overload. I'm expecting at least 3 chapters over the course of Thanksgiving weekend. Probably more. So here's to that!

No reviews, as previously mentioned.


	6. In Control

Chapter 6: In Control

(The Great Fox Hangars)

The team had assembled down in the hangars after finishing their talk with General Pepper. They had gotten their gear together and were preparing to descend down to Jatria. Peppy was going to stay behind, he was getting too old to do most physical activities nowadays.

"Alright, gang. The plan is to meet up with the soldiers down at the base. Give us a call back when you get there." Peppy told the group.

"Ok. See ya later, Peppy." Fox said, entering his Arwing. Everyone else followed suit. ROB had finished the repairs to Katt's ship early last night, repairing all damage done to it before. It was also fully stocked with fuel cells. Her Cat's Paw looked almost new after the treatment it received.

"Time to get this started!" Katt yelled, jumping into the cockpit of the Cat's Paw.

"Hahaha. Good. Talk to you guys when you get to the surface." Peppy said, backing away from the ship's.

"Open the hangar doors, ROB." Fox said.

"Affirmative."

"Ready the G-Diffusors. Launching in 3…2…1…GO!" Fox yelled, the ships pulling out wings opening as they entered out into space. The ships hurtled downwards, entering the atmosphere of Jatria.

"Ok, then. Guess it's just you and me, ROB." Peppy said, walking with the robot back to the interior of the Great Fox.

"Affirmative." the robot said, walking behind Peppy.

(Jatria's Orbit)

"Ok team, we're nearing Jatria's atmosphere." Fox announced to the rest of the team. He stared down at the large planet, a gleaming gem floating in space.

"So what's Jatria like, anyway?" Fox asked Slippy, who had pulled up a file about Jatria, given to them by General Pepper after their meeting on the Great Fox.

"Says here, it has abundant flora and fauna. Lots of forests, jungles in places where it's warmer. There are also plains and savannas in specific areas." Slippy explained.

"So it's a giant ball of grass?" Falco asked.

"Pretty much. There are cities and towns dotting the planet. Their technology revolves around their surrounding, getting their energy from the trees and sun. Actually, its slightly more advanced than our energy technology." Slippy told the team. "Corneria has started prototypes of their tech, trying to create eco-friendly equipment as well. Lucky for us we made an alliance with these guys."

"Sounds nice." Fox said.

"Wait, Fox, what's that." Krystal asked. "There's something on radar."

"It looks like a fleet." Falco said, boosting to get a closer look. "What? They sending a welcoming committee?"

Suddenly, one of the ships shot out a laser at Falco's Arwing. He barely had time to roll out of the way.

"I don't think they're here to welcome us!" Falco yelled, his heart rate calming down.

"TAKE EVASIVE ACTION!" Fox commanded as the Jatrian fleet started a downpour of laser fire. "Slippy, get their shield analysis!"

"Wait, Fox! They're not attacking us on purpose! It's the same brainwave pattern that I felt on Corneria! It's the same thing that took over Anthony Cooper!!!" Krystal yelled "They're citizens from Jatria!"

"Damn! Attacking them might cause a conflict between Corneria and Jatria!" Fox thought aloud. He started racing through his head for options.

_If they're being mind-controlled, they're not going to listen to reasoning. We have to get past them, but they'll just attack us…if only we could disarm them…THAT'S IT!!!_

"Attack the ships' engines and weapons!!!" Fox ordered, boosting his Arwing towards the fleet. "Be careful not to strike any vital areas of the ship! Only do enough damage to incapacitate them!"

"Alright, Foxy, you got it!" Falco called out, boosting towards the fleet himself.

Fox was the first to reach the fleet, he weaved in between the lasers of the front ship, looking for where they were coming from. The ships were Cornerian warships, sent to Jatria when it was accepted under Cornerian protection. It took only a moment to find where the lasers were, he knew the layout of most of the ships in the entire Cornerian army. He focused his targeting reticule on the ship's turrets. He fired his laser, sending out several green beams, each one connecting with the first turret. The turret exploded shortly after.

_One down._

Fox flew his Arwing underneath the fleet, pulling up to shoot at several turrets on each ship. When he finished his attack run, he had destroyed five turrets, leaving only some ships with all of their turrets. Suddenly, an explosion sounded off of one of the back ships in the fleet. Fox looked over, seeing smoke trail from behind the ship.

"One engine down! Moving on to the next ship!" Falco called.

"Hey, Falco! You forgot an engine!" Slippy called out.

"I thought we were only disarming them, Froggy!?" Falco yelled back.

"He's right, Slippy, if we take out both engines, the ships will be pulled down back onto the planet. We need to leave them something to work with, or it's the same thing as attacking them directly." Fox explained.

"Oh." Slippy said, realizing the mechanics of what Fox just said.

The team continued their assault of the fleet.

"Haha, stupid turret!" Katt yelled out, finishing off the last of the turrets on a ship.

"I think we can make it to the planet now. Go!" Fox yelled, boosting past the remainder of the fleet, dodging lasers as he did.

"FOX!!! LOOK OUT!!!!" Krystal yelled.

Fox looked to see what Krystal was warning him about. He looked up, seeing the underside of one of the cruisers come crashing down upon his Arwing.

"Rrgh!" was the only thing Fox called out, his comm. link cutting off. The rest of the team watched as his ship plummeted downwards, heading for Jatria.

"Follow his ship!!!" Falco yelled out. Boosting towards the planet himself, following Fox's signal on the radar.

(Jatrian Sky)

The team rocketed through the atmosphere of Jatria, following the streak of flame left behind by Fox's Arwing as it plummeted downwards. They followed it as it crashed into the surface of the planet, creating a gash in the ground as it landed, right on the edge of a forest, landing in savanna.

Krystal was the first to land, her Arwing a couple of yards away from Fox's. She ran over to his Arwing, which was overturned, trapping Fox's cockpit between the bulk of the ship and the ground. Krystal reached the Arwing, kneeling on the ground, calling his name as she saw him hanging there, held up by his seatbelt.

"Watch out, Krystal." Falco said on Krystal's wrist communicator. She turned around and saw Falco's Arwing hovering in the air, the grass of savanna blowing in a radius around the ship. Behind him, Katt and Slippy were landing their ships next to Krystal's. "Here I go!"

Falco slowly pushed his Arwing forward, the tip of it going underneath Fox's wing. He pushed forward, Fox's Arwing slowly rolling up. Finally, with one final push, the Arwing made a complete turn, and rolled into an upward position.

Krystal rushed back to the Arwing, jumping up to the cockpit, pressing the switch to open it. She reached inside and unbuckled Fox from his seat, bringing him down into the grass of the savanna. She let his head rest in her lap, he had cuts and bruises all over his body, and some blood leaked from his lip. She shook him a little, calling his name over and over again. After a couple of moments, he coughed out some blood, and opened his eyes.

"Oh, Fox." Krystal said, hugging him tightly as she saw he was okay.

"McCloud doesn't die that easily. His ship has to be blasted into a thousand little bits and even then, he'll probably escape on some piece of wreckage." Falco laughed.

"Whoo. At least now we're on Jatria." Slippy said.

"Yeah, but where's that base we were supposed to meet up with?" Katt asked. "Although, now, I don't think we want to go there, considering it was their ships that were used to attack us."

"According to our radar, it's about seventy-two kilometers to the east." Falco said, checking the radar on his wrist communicator. "Some of us could go check it out. 'Cept someone should stay behind with Slippy while he fixes Fox's ship."

The team looked at Fox's Arwing now. It was pretty damaged, there were burns on its hull from entering the atmosphere at an awkward angle, and the cockpit windshield was cracked from where the enemy cruiser struck it. It was missing a wing as well, snapping off as it bounced along the ground like a skipping stone.

"I'll stay." Katt said. "My Cat's Paw could use some treatment, too, I took a couple of hits up there."

"No, I'll stay. I need to be here with Fox." Krystal said, taking out her medical kit from her backpack.

"Well, I can't go alone!" Falco yelled. "I guess we're staying here until Fox is better!"

"Ok, I'll get started on Fox's Arwing then." Slippy said, running to his ship. A moment later, he pulled his Arwing over to the impact site and landed, taking his tool kit out the cockpit.

"I'll get Fox's wing, then." Falco said, going back to his Arwing.

"I'll start my own repairs, shouldn't be too long." Katt said, rushing to her ship.

"We…need to call…Peppy." Fox coughed out, sitting up. "We should…tell him to…be careful."

"Ok, Fox. I just need you to sit still, I can't clean you up otherwise." Krystal said through her tears. "Slippy, when you can, call Peppy."

Slippy, who had started repairing the cockpit, popped his head up, pulling his welder's mask up.

"Ok." He said, pulling his welder's mask back on. He called the Great Fox and continued working.

"Hey, Peppy!" he called through his mask.

(The Great Fox)

Slippy's masked face appeared on the screen next to the door in the living area, light from Slippy's tool glinting off of it. Peppy sauntered over to the screen, eager to get any information.

"Slippy? That you? Good. So did you guys make it to the surface?" Peppy asked from the Great Fox.

"Yeah, but we were stopped by some Cornerian warships." Slippy explained.

"Warships!? Is everyone ok!?"

"Yeah, everyone except Fox, he tackled by a cruiser and crashed into the surface. He's got a bunch of cuts and bruises, but he's fine. I'm fixing his ship now."

"Oh my. Just make sure he's ok." Peppy instructed. "We lost the last leader of StarFox before, don't do it again."

"Ok, Peppy. He's the one that told me to call you anyway. He also says be on the lookout for any ships. The guys that attacked us were citizens of Jatria. According to Krystal, they were being mind-controlled or something." Slippy explained.

"Ok, thanks Slip."

"Ok, call you later Peppy!" Slippy said, disconnecting the link.

(Impact Site)

"There. Finished." Krystal said, biting off Fox's bandages from the roll. He looked better now, bandages covering all of his injuries. They weren't all too severe, the Arwing taking most of the damage.

"Thanks, Krystal." Fox said, getting up. "How's my Arwing looking, Slip?"

Slippy had finished the cockpit and started reattaching the wing, which Falco had brought over.

"Almost done!" Slippy yelled. They got Slippy a pair of tools for his birthday. They were the most expensive ones on the market. In Slippy's hands, he could make a small warship in less than a day.

Falco, after dragging Fox's wing back, helped Katt finish repairing her ship.

"How 'bout you guys?" Fox called to them.

"Finishing up, too." Katt called.

Fox checked his wrist communicator, which had been adjusted to Jatrian time. It was only a little past two.

"Ok! When everyone's done, I say we check out what happened at the base!" Fox told the team.

"But, Fox, you're still injured! I just finished wrapping you up!" Krystal exclaimed.

"I know, but I feel fine." Fox said. "And the longer we stay out here, the more innocent people could be getting hurt."

"I know, but…"

"Krystal, look at me. I'm fine." Fox told her, staring straight into her eyes.

"O-ok." Krystal submitted.

"DONE!" Slippy yelled.

"Us, too." Falco called.

"Ok, back into your ships! We're heading for the Cornerian base!" Fox ordered.

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Author's Notes: Dogfight! Ok, the last part gets kinda boring, but the dogfight was good. I'm just leading up to the adventure at the base. My weekend starts today, so I'll be getting in a bunch of chapters in. If I could, I'd tell you what to look forward to, but I'm making this stuff up as I go. My thanks go to paranoidsocialclub. Your reviews are really encouraging when writing this. I'm glad to have an avid fan. Now for the reviews, which there is one:

Reviews:

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-11-25 . chapter 5_

_well, sorry for the lack of reviews... I couldn't keep track of the updates...  
The chapters were flawless. I'm surprised your story doesn't have that many reviews. Well, I'm hoping for more chapters to come.  
Cheers!  
~PSC~_

Thank you for keeping up with the story. I know they were a lot of updates, I got out early on Monday, my building lost power early in the morning, so I had all the rest of the day to write. I just wish I had more reviews from people like you. I looked around at the other stories and they have like 30 reviews and their stories were published like 2 days ago! But, oh well. This'll probably pick up steam after a month or two. Until then, thanks for your encouragement!


	7. Ways of War

Chapter 7: Ways of War

(Jatrian Flatlands)

Fox and the team were speeding over the savanna in their Arwings. Fox was determined to reach the Cornerian outpost, terrorism was an unwelcome threat. He was going to stop them, at all costs.

"Seven kilometers left." Slippy announced. "The base should be in sight about now."

Sure enough, the base glinted in the sunlight.

"I see it." Fox announced. "We need to find a place to put our Arwings down, we don't want them taken out if those at the base end up being enemies."

"How about over there?" Slippy asked, indicating a small hill. It was tall enough to cover the top of an Arwing.

"Ok, but we're going to have to land in rows." Fox said. The team landed, Krystal and Katt landing directly next to the hill. Fox, Falco, and Slippy landed right next to them.

"Let's go in." Fox said.

(Jatrian Base)

Fox and the team approached the base. They had their blasters tucked away, able to be brandished in a second, should anything occur.

"Shouldn't a base be more, well, busy about now?" Falco asked. He looked at the base. Nothing was moving.

"Something has to be going on." Fox said. He quickly ran up to a building, sidling up alongside it. He signaled for the others to follow his lead. He looked in through a window, it was empty.

"Anything, Fox?" Krystal asked.

"It's empty." Fox told her. He quickly made his way around the corner of the building. He could hear shouts, followed by blaster fire. "Something's going on!" Fox told the rest of the team.

They rushed out to the nearest building. Fox looked out past the corner. He saw Cornerian soldiers, huddled behind a turned over car. They were blind-firing over the safety of the car. Past the car, shots were being fired from the grass of the savanna. Fox tried listening in on the soldiers.

"Where's Wilson!?" one soldier asked.

"He's stuck behind the artillery building!" a second soldier called out to him.

"DAMN IT!! I only have my machine gun!!! I need that ammunition!!!" the first soldier called out.

"DUCK!!!! HOMING LAUNCHER!!!!" a third soldier called out. A second passed. Suddenly, a large explosion rang out, rattling the car the soldiers were huddled behind.

"What the hell was that?" Falco asked Fox, still sidled up alongside the wall of the building.

"I think the soldiers are on our side. They don't seem mind-controlled." Fox concluded. "Well, Krystal?"

"Yes, they're fighting brain-washed civilians, though." Krystal said.

"I'm going up to the soldiers." Fox told the team. "Wait here. I'll call you over when it's clear."

Fox rushed over, dodging blaster fire as he ran dove underneath the safety of the car. The soldiers, not expecting something to jump out at them, nearly shot Fox.

"Holy hell!!! What are you doing!?" the first soldier screamed.

"Wait…" the second soldier said. "I think it's Fox McCloud!!!"

"It is! It is!" Fox called out, the first soldier still pointing his gun at him. "What's happening here?"

"Finally, some good luck!" the first soldier said, lowering his weapon. "I didn't recognize you underneath the bandages!"

"Ok. But what's going on!?" Fox repeated.

"Ok, we were running out our daily routines, as usual. Suddenly, we lose two soldiers. Then we hear some blaster fire, so we rush out over here. Then another three soldiers get gunned down. We see the fire coming out of the grass, so we look for any nearby cover. We rush behind a building, starting to return fire. But we can't see them. We have no idea how many were out there. Then we see a grenade drop down next to us. We dive out into the crossfire. The blast from the grenade tips over this car. Then, here we are." the soldier explains.

"Ok, I'll call my team over. They'll cover us as we get back behind the building." Fox said, calling the team over. Falco saw the signal and pulled the rest of the team over. They had their blasters drawn, firing out at the source of the gunfire.

"Ok, soldiers! MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!" the first soldier called out, running out from the safety of the car, going towards the buildings. Fox and the other soldiers followed them. The two teams split apart, Fox and his team behind one building, and, across the gap, the remaining Cornerian soldiers firing out from behind the other building.

"Hey, McCloud! One of our soldiers is pinned down behind the ammunitions building! We have to get him out of there!" the head soldier called.

Fox remembered his teachings at the Cornerian Academy. 'A soldier is never left behind.' Something is always brought back, even if they're dead. That way, the family'd have something to bury. That's what they were taught.

"Ok, where's the ammunitions building?" Fox called out, ducking back behind the building as lasers skimmed the corner.

"It's over there!!" the third soldier called out, pointing past the building they were hiding behind. "It's across the field."

_Of course. It's always the difficult route, isn't it?_

"Ok, Krystal, come with me! Falco, cover us!" Fox called out. Then, Krystal and Fox rushed out. Falco and Slippy took their positions, firing out at the enemy. Fox used his blaster to cover his head, firing randomly as he ran across the field. Krystal ducked behind him, firing as well. An explosion sounded out in the air when they were halfway across the field. Fox didn't have the time to look though. When they were a couple of feet away from the building, Fox saw a glint in the grass. He saw a tuft of smoke come out of the grass, then a shell heading right at them.

"KRYSTAL!!! JUMP!!!!" Fox yelled as a homing launcher fired. The shell rocketed out, following its target. Fox grabbed Krystal's hand and jumped. When he landed upon the ground, he pulled her in close. The launcher shell struck the ground, right where Krystal's foot was. A blast sounded out, deafening Fox for a moment. He shielded Krystal with his head, waiting for the downpour of dirt to finish raining down. He looked up, surprised to still be in one piece.

"Are you alright, Krystal?" Fox asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Krystal said, getting up and dusting herself off.

"Hey, are you guys alright?" a voice called out from behind the corner of the building.

Fox turned to see another Cornerian soldier, panting. His right arm was bleeding, and he clutched a Gatling gun with his other arm. He had trouble holding it up, however, with only one arm.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" the soldier asked.

"We're StarFox. We were sent here by General Pepper to check out some terrorist attacks." Fox explained.

"Well, you guys came at the right time." the soldier said. "But even with you guys, we're outgunned. I came over here for supplies, only to find them raiding our warehouse. I chased them out, but that was after they stole half of our supplies."

"Don't worry. We've got equipment for times like this." Fox said, calling the Great Fox. "Peppy, hey, Peppy. You there?"

After a second, Peppy's face showed up on the communicator. He was sweating however, and was breathing heavily.

"Fox! We've got trouble up here! They've got several warships attacking the Great Fox!!!" Peppy explained.

"What!? Hang on, Peppy!!! We can't do anything!! We're pinned down here, too!! I need you to send me a Landmaster!!" Fox pleaded, blaster fire scorching the ground next to him.

"I'll see what I can do! It's going to be tough, though!!" Peppy called out.

Suddenly, the area behind Peppy began glowing a bright green. ROB's voice called out.

"Enemy ships charging lasers. Great Fox is targeted." ROB explained.

"EVASIVE ACTIONS, ROB!!!" Peppy yelled, the link disconnecting.

"Damn!" Fox yelled. "It might be a while before we can get out of here. Krystal, can you sense how many of them are out there?"

"There's…eight…no…nine." Krystal said. "They keep moving, it's hard to tell."

"Yeah, and each one outguns us four to one." the soldier said.

"One of them is running out!" Krystal gasped, snapping back into her consciousness. A lone badger ran out, carrying a large device in his arms. Fox could see the blaster fire on both sides stop.

_Why did Falco and the others stop firing!?_

"GET IN THE BUILDING!!!" the soldier suddenly called out, breaking a window with the butt of his Gatling gun.

"Why?"

"FIREBURST POD!!!!!!" the soldier screamed, diving into the window.

"DAMN!!!" Fox yelled, pulling Krystal behind him into the window.

Outside, the badger placed the pod upon the ground, activating the pod. He made no motion to move once he finished, however. The device activated, launching several explosive charges up into the air, colored streams tracing their paths. The charges then plummeted downwards, exploding upon contact with any solid surface.

(Falco's side)

Falco and the others shot at the enemy, providing cover for Fox and Krystal as they ran over to the ammunitions building.

"Damn, are we even hitting them?" Katt asked, ducking back behind the corner, a laser going where her head was a second ago.

"We've been wondering that for the last hour." the first soldier called out.

"GRENADE!!!" the second soldier called out. The three soldiers dove behind the next corner of the building, nearly getting shot as they turned the corner. Falco, Katt and Slippy, however, had nowhere to run to.

"THIS IS IT!!!" Slippy yelled, covering his face as he prepared for the blast.

"NO IT ISN'T!!!" Falco yelled. He ran up to the grenade, picking it up as fast as he could. He tossed it into the air as it started glowing. A second later, a blast rang out, the resulting shockwave knocking Falco to the ground.

"FALCO!!" Slippy and Katt called, dragging Falco back behind the building. Katt shook Falco back to consciousness.

"Ugh…We…ok?" Falco asked, sitting up.

"Not quite." Slippy said, already firing back at the onslaught of lasers. "At least Fox and Krystal are ok."

Slippy watched as the two ran for the ammunitions building. He then saw a puff of smoke come out of the grass, followed by the glint of a black pod as it raced out into the sunlight. It hit the ground next to Krystal, blocking both Fox and Krystal from sight as it kicked up dirt and rock up into the air.

"NO!!" Slippy yelled out.

"What!?" Falco asked, returning to his previous position.

"I can't tell, I saw a homing launcher shell…"

"Keep firing!" the head soldier called out, leading the other two behind him.

The two groups continued firing out at the enemy, never seeming to get any result.

"We aren't getting anywhere!!!" the second soldier called out after a while.

Falco, however, was still thinking about what had just happened to Fox and Krystal.

_Come on Fox! You don't die that easily! You frickin' survived crash-landing on a planet without even breaking anything!!!_

"Wait!!! Someone's running out!!!" the head soldier called out. "Hold your fire!!"

They watched as a badger ran out into the field, lugging something half his size out into the middle of the field. They also noticed that the laser fire on the other side ceased as well.

"FIREBURST POD!!!!" the third soldier called out.

"GET INSIDE THE MESS HALL!!!!" the head soldier roared. The three dove out past the gap between the building, rushing past Falco and the others. Katt followed closely behind them, dragging Falco and Slippy with her. The third soldier used the end of his blaster to knock in one of the windows. All of them jumped into the Mess Hall.

"Get underneath something!!!" the head soldier called out. He and the three soldiers slid on the ground, ducking underneath several tables.

"Over here!!!" Falco yelled. He led Katt and Slippy to behind the serving counter. They quickly slipped underneath the trays of food, waiting for the imminent blast. It came, just as expected. The ceiling shook, jarring parts of the ceiling loose. Wood and metal came crashing down, leaving holes where they once stood. When the chaos ended, everyone retreated from their hiding places.

_I hope Fox is doing better than we are…_

(The Great Fox)

Peppy left the living area, after having received a message from the surface from Slippy. He didn't take too much of what was said into account, he figured that Fox and the others would handle this quickly, before anything too bad happened. He went out into the hallway, taking his time.

Bored, he went up to the bridge, followed by ROB. He figured would be there in case anything was needed down on the surface.

"Well, time to relax." Peppy said, reclining in his chair. He stared out towards the window, looking down at the bright green Jatria. "Can't necessarily say I miss the battles…but I do miss seeing the scenery."

Peppy took a deep breath.

"James knew how to make it fun. Even Pigma made it more enjoyable…"

A ding interrupted Peppy's thoughts.

_Food's ready._

Peppy went over to a device, far away from all of the machinery on the bridge. He opened it, pulling out a Styrofoam cup, filled with instant noodles.

Peppy returned to his chair, eating his cup of ramen.

"I wonder what's happening on Corneria about now…" Peppy said, utilizing Fox's transmission screen to surf the channels. He changed the frequency to that of Corneria's and switched to the news.

"-uld be here within the next two days, coming from Jatria. According to the latest info, it will increase Corneria's productivity nearly ten-fold. Now, for Cornerian home-front news. The damage done to Corneria's Command Building is almost entirely repaired. According to the General, 'Only a new coat of paint is all that's left!'. Now, that's the end of our broadcast, stay tuned for-"

Peppy could not hear the rest of what the reporter had to say. ROB jolted to life, repeating a message over and over again.

"Unidentified ships approaching Great Fox. Unidentified ships approaching Great Fox." the robot announced.

"Bring them up on-screen, ROB." Peppy said.

"Initializing…" the robot said. After a couple of moments, ROB finally moved again. "Unable to connect with ships, communication link denied."

"What!? Set up an open link, ROB. I'll talk to them myself." Peppy commanded.

"Affirmative." ROB said, typing up the commands for the link. "Open Link ready."

"This is Cornerian Dreadnaught-class Warship #2284590, Great Fox. This is the command vessel for the Mercenary Team StarFox. Leading Personnel: Peppy Hare. What is your business here!?" Peppy called out on the link. No response.

"I repeat, this is the Great Fox, command vessel for Team StarFox! What is your business here!?" Peppy repeated.

Suddenly, a red light began flashing all around the Great Fox. A warning siren sounded.

"Great Fox is targeted! Ships priming lasers!" ROB's metallic voice clanged out.

"Activate the primary and secondary boosters!!" Peppy ordered. The Great Fox left Jatria's orbit and moved out into open space.

"How many missiles do we have, ROB!?" Peppy called out, rushing over to the machines on the bridge, checking the Great Fox's shields and energy lines.

"We have 13 missiles in storage." ROB said over the sirens.

"Ok, ROB, ready the Great Fox's lasers! We're fighting back!!" Peppy roared.

"Affirmative." ROB responded.

_According to what Slippy said before, these guys are mind-controlled or something. If that's true, shooting them down could strain the new relations between Corneria and Jatria. I'm going to have to selectively shoot, then._

"ROB, what's the distance between the Great Fox and the ships?" Peppy asked the robot.

"5000 kilometers." the robot responded.

"Ok. Can you get a lock on them?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Lock onto the first ship's starboard wing!" Peppy commanded.

"Wing locked."

"FIRE A MISSILE!!!"

That instant, a missile left the Great Fox, rushing out into space. Lasers from the ships shot out at it, in an attempt to stop it. The missile curved, narrowly avoiding the laser fire. After a moment, it connected with the wing. Wreckage soared outwards, the damaged area of the ship glowing a bright red, the metal heated from the sudden blast. The equilibrium of the ship unbalanced, the ship began tilting, its left side raising upwards.

"Good job, ROB! Turn the Great Fox 120 degrees port!!! We're firing!" Peppy yelled, the excitement of battle returning to him.

"Affirmative."

The Great Fox slowly tilted, its right engine pushing, the left waning. The Great Fox was now facing the onslaught of warships.

"Target the next ship's wing, ROB!!!" Peppy demanded, nearly jumping as he yelled.

"Wing locked."

"FIRE THE LASER!!!"

In that instant, two great beams shot out from the Great Fox, cutting a swath through the opposing ships. The wings were blasted away on several ships.

"HAHA!!! BULLSEYE!!!" Peppy screamed.

"Warning, remaining ships boosting to our position." ROB warned.

"They're fighting back now, huh? Get ready."

Suddenly, lasers were firing from all of the remaining ships in the opposing fleet. Many struck the Great Fox, the shields taking most of the blows, leaving small scorch marks where the lasers would have damaged.

"Missiles locked onto our position." ROB announced.

"Shoot an intercept laser!!!"

The missiles flew from the ships. Unlike the lasers, the missiles would take a larger toll out on the Great Fox. The Great Fox's laser barrels, however, resonated a green light, shooting two large beams out again. Out of the five missiles, three were destroyed. The two remaining however connected with the hull of the Great Fox.

Peppy struggled to remain upright as the Great Fox shook from the resulting blast.

"What's the damage, ROB!?" Peppy asked as soon as he was stable.

"63% of shields left. Minor hull damage." ROB called out.

"Damn!" Peppy called out. "We're going to have to fire more missiles!"

At that moment, a face appeared on a screen near the shield gauge. It was Fox, sweaty, with bandages covering his face.

"Peppy, hey, Peppy. You there?" Fox asked.

At that moment, a blast struck the shields near the bridge, causing everything to shake again.

"Fox! We've got trouble up here! They've got several warships attacking the Great Fox!!!" Peppy yelled.

"What!?" Fox yelled, looking shocked. "Hang on, Peppy!!! We can't do anything!! We're pinned down here, too!! I need you to send me a Landmaster!!"

Peppy could see chaos ensuing behind Fox. He knew that they could really use the enhanced fire-power.

"I'll see what I can do! It's going to be tough, though!!" Peppy explained to Fox.

"Enemy ships charging lasers. Great Fox is targeted." ROB explained, a green light shining in through the window.

"EVASIVE ACTIONS, ROB!!!" Peppy yelled. He knew that the Great Fox couldn't take a direct hit from a charged laser. The link disconnected when Peppy dove to activate the thrusters.

The Great Fox pushed off to the left, the large, yellow beams from the fleet just skimming the bottom right of the Great Fox.

"Fire missiles, now, ROB!!" Peppy yelled. ROB responded immediately, launching missiles at the targets that were already locked on. Many of the opposing ships were disabled during the firefight, only four of them left. Five missiles were fired out from the Great Fox, two missiles targeting the closest ship, the remaining three going for the other ships. Each missile connected, but the ships continued to come.

"Why aren't they stopping!?" Peppy asked aloud. "ROB, target their weapons!! Fire the lasers at them!!!" Peppy commanded. He couldn't think of anything else to do, so he used a last ditch attempt.

The barrels on the Great Fox resonated a deep green. The Great Fox then turned slightly, pointing the barrels off to the left. After a second, the barrels unleashed two beams. The Great Fox immediately turned, creating a sweeping motion with the beams. The beams connected with the ships, destroying the weapons and the bottom half of the hulls. The beams stopped after they completed the sweep.

Peppy looked out the window. The remaining ships of the fleet were sparking, debris free-floating in the space near them. The beam had utterly destroyed almost all of the ships, leaving only most of their hulls and the bridge intact. The ships turned around and started heading back towards Jatria.

"Phew. That was close." Peppy said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Now, for that Landmaster…"

Peppy went over to the supplies interface. "Lessee, ah, here. Landmaster!" Peppy said, highlighting the image of the Landmaster.

"Hmm, where's Fox's position…ah, here we go. I'll deploy it five degrees west." Peppy said, pushing the button. "Good Luck, Fox."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Happy Thanksgiving!!! I know it was yesterday, but happy times anyway!! I was planning on uploading this chapter yesterday, but I couldn't find the time between eating and playing StarFox 64 and Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. I'm glad I found emulators!!! So yeah, battle scenes kickass. I was going to put all of the battle in one chapter, but then I just couldn't resist squeezing in the Great Fox dogfight. OMNI-LAZOR!!!! But yeah, I'll finish the battle next chapter. Here's to that! Although, it might be hard to find the time…I just bought Tales of Symphonia 2…

Reviews:

Finally, more than one! And one that isn't my loyal fan paranoidsocialclub!!! WOOHOO!!!

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-11-27 . chapter 6_

_well, glad to help. This happened to be one of the more detailed chapters, so the last part wasn't boring at all. the thing about those stories getting an amazing amount of reviews: if you look at their profile, they usually have around 30 stories in the section. They're really well known. well, Cheers  
~PSC~  
P.S. Make sure this fic never dies._

Thanks for thinking that the last part was interesting. And, yeah, now that I think about, those guys had like, a gajillion stories on their profile. They probably have a bunch of die-hard fans rating their stories. Luckily, I got you to help me out! Don't worry, this fic isn't ending anytime soon. I got plenty of ideas waiting in the wings.

-_Pasta Masta__ 2008-11-27 . chapter 6_

_This fic is looking great. It was obviously written before General Pepper got too old to pull off moves, like the ones he performed during the bombing. lol This is coming along nicely, please continue._

Thanks. This is between the time of Assault and Command, and I just enjoy seeing General Pepper as one of those pissed off war veterans. I could just see him saying like "I can still move, DAMN IT!!!" or something like that. That thought was the inspiration for that part. So yeah, I'll keep going!


	8. Sit and Duck

Chapter 8: Sit and Duck

(Jatrian Base)

Fox waited for the imminent impact from the Fireburst Pod, listening for a sound as grenades streamed down from the sky. His wish was granted, the numerous blasts drowning out all other sounds. Wreckage came falling down from the ceiling, landing next to him, kicking up dust and dirt that had collected upon the floor. During the explosions, Fox heard a yelp. He looked up, to make sure everyone was all right.

They were hiding inside the base's ammunition building. He had hidden himself underneath a shelf, replacing a box of grenades. He could see Krystal crouched beneath another shelf, much like himself. She was cringing, but appeared alright. The Cornerian Soldier was standing next to the wall, unable to hide himself in time. His eyes were shut, and he seemed to be muttering something. After a minute, the explosions died out, and the wreckage had stopped falling.

Fox climbed out of his hiding spot. He immediately went over to Krystal.

"It's alright, come on out."

"Ok." Krystal said, coming out of her own spot on the shelf.

"Hey, are you still alive?" Fox yelled out to the soldier, unable to see past all of the dust that had been thrown into the air.

"Yeah, I'm fine." the soldier responded.

"What was that, Fox?" Krystal asked. The soldier responded for him.

"That? That was a Fireburst Pod. It's a wide-range explosive device. It launches several amped up grenades into the air and blankets the area in explosions. It's mainly used as a last resort, when it's either us, or the enemy." the soldier explained.

"I assume they stole _that_ out of here?" Fox questioned.

"I don't know any other place they'd get this."

"How many of those things do you keep in here?" Fox continued to ask.

"Around four or five…" the soldier said, looking around at the remaining supplies. "The rest seem to be here."

"Fox, the rest of the citizens are coming back!" Krystal called to Fox, sensing the enemy's movements.

"We need that Landmaster!" Fox said aloud. "Quick, we have to get out of this building!"

With that statement, everyone rushed out of the building. A lone shot, however, prevented them from going out to their previous position. Fox looked around, but only saw the body of the original badger lying upon the ground, unmoving. Then, another shot rang out, nearly missing Fox's head.

"They're back already!?" Fox said, throwing his back against the wall, drawing his blaster.

"It's the front of the group." Krystal explained.

"You're sure they don't have any other things we should know about?" Fox asked.

As if on cue, a grenade dropped down next to Fox's feet, glowing.

"Watch out!!!" Fox screamed, grabbing Krystal and jumping behind the corner of the building. They landed upon the ground with a thud, the soldier landing next to them. After a second, the grenade exploded. Fox waited a moment, then went back out. The grenade had created a small crater in the ground.

"What exactly did they steal from here?" Fox asked, nearly snarling at the soldier.

"They took some blasters, five machine guns, three Gatling guns, and three boxes of grenades. Those, and the Fireburst Pod." the soldier listed.

"Ok, then." Fox said, taking a breath before returning fire again. As Fox began firing out, a blue light began to glow in the grasses behind him. Fox turned, seeing the light. After a moment, a large tank sat upon the ground, the StarFox insignia resting upon its side.

"Peppy did it!" Krystal exclaimed, happy to finally see something of good luck.

"Come on, let's go!" Fox yelled, climbing into the Landmaster. "Jump on, Krystal."

"Right!" Krystal said, climbing onto the tank's hull.

"What is that!?" the soldier asked, surprised to see such a behemoth of a vehicle appear out of nowhere.

"It's the StarFox team's tank, the Landmaster. Come on up." Krystal offered the soldier, holding out her hand. The soldier looked down at his bleeding arm, and accepted the help up.

"Get ready." Fox told everyone atop the Landmaster. "Here we go!"

The tank ran out into the laser fire.

(Mess Hall)

Falco shut his eyes as explosions echoed throughout the Mess Hall. He could hear chunks of the ceiling descend, their impact marked by the sounds of chaos as they smashed against the floor. After a minute passed, the maelstrom of destruction ended. Falco looked to his right, Katt and Slippy were huddled together next to him, their eyes shut as well. He got up from behind the serving counter and went out into the main area of the Mess Hall. The soldiers remained underneath the tables, the chunks of the ceiling barely missing where they were hiding.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK HIDING THERE WOULD WORK!?!?" Falco exploded at the soldiers.

"Calm down, Falco. Nobody's hurt." Katt said, sliding out from here hiding place as well.

"Yeah, Falco. No need to lose our heads here." Slippy added.

"Interesting choice of words, Slips." Falco said, cooling off.

"What are you doing just talking!?" the head soldier demanded, getting to his feet. "We're trapped in here! They're probably advancing on this position as we speak!!"

"What makes you say that?" Falco asked, shrugging his shoulders. He walked next to a window, where a laser flew in. He fell to the ground, startled.

"Great, now they know we're in here!" the second soldier exclaimed, shaking his head.

"What about the other side!?" Falco asked, his heartbeat returning to normal. Katt went over to the window where they broke in. As she stuck her head out, another laser came out from the grass in the savanna. She yelped as the laser missed her head by centimeters.

"No good." she called out to the others.

"We're surrounded!" the head soldier stated.

"Isn't there another way out!?" Falco asked, beginning to shoot out of the window.

"You want to take the door out into the cross-fire? Be my guest!" the head soldier responded, shooting out of another window.

"Real genius of a carpenter you had there. Doesn't quite meet army standards during times of war, does he?"

"Would you stop complaining and start shooting!? Dammit, we're stuck inside a frickin' building getting shot at and you won't stop arguing with your allies! What's wrong with you!?" Katt cursed, shooting randomly out of the window as she did so.

As she yelled, a large blast sounded outside. Falco looked out the window, seeing smoke rise out of the grass where the laser fire had originated.

"What the hell was that?" Falco asked no one in particular.

The citizens on the other side of the grass had stopped shooting when they heard the blast, but continued shortly afterwards. A couple seconds after they continued their assault, another blast rang out, shaking the Mess Hall as it struck the ground with an intense fury.

Slippy immediately stuck his head out the window, completely disregarding the fact that there were enemies shooting at them less than a minute ago.

"It's Fox!!!" Slippy shouted, bringing his head back inside the window. "He's got a Landmaster!!!"

"Haha!! Now we've got the upper-hand. Enough of being sitting ducks! Now it's our turn!" Falco said, jumping out the broken window.

"You could've used the door you know." Katt said, following him out the window.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Falco said, rushing over to the Landmaster.

"Hey guys, hop on!" Fox said through the communicator.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Falco said as he jumped atop the tank. "Need help, Katt?" he asked, reaching down.

"I got it." she said, climbing atop the gun barrel and walking over to him. She smiled as she sat down next to him.

"Fine, don't take my help…"

"Hey, you got Wilson!" the head soldier called, noticing the extra person sitting on the tank.

"Come on, we're going to stop the citizens now!" Krystal yelled. "We didn't kill them. They're starting to re-group!"

"You heard her, let's go!" Falco smiled, pulling out his blaster again. The remainder of the group climbed atop the tank.

They circled the perimeter of the base, firing just inside the clusters of foes, knocking them out with the concussive blasts of the Landmaster. They went around, collecting the citizens and their weapons. When they had finished, they gathered inside the center of the base.

"Is that all of them?" Falco asked Krystal, looking at the mass of people on the ground

"I don't sense anyone else." she responded.

Fox, in the meantime, jumped out of the Landmaster.

"Ok, Peppy. You can beam back the Landmaster." Fox told Peppy on his communicator.

"Sure thing, Fox. ROB and I'll fix up the Great Fox while you finish up down there." Peppy said, disconnecting the communications link.

As the Landmaster disappeared inside a blue light, Fox ran over to the rest of the group.

"So that's everything?" he asked as he rushed over.

"Yeah, just about." Katt answered.

"Then I believe it's time we got some answers." Fox said, looking towards the soldiers. "When did the citizens start acting up like this?"

"We told you, it started today!" the third soldier broke out.

"Well, did anything else happen before today?" Krystal interjected.

"No, not that we can remember…it's been the same as always here. Although, there was this one incident with Private Ian…" the head soldier said. As he said the soldier's name, the other three soldiers looked down.

"Well, out with it!" Falco said, getting impatient.

"Right, well you see, Private Ian was stationed here with the rest of us. Real nice guy. Great soldier. But, about six days ago, he got word that his twin brother on Corneria was killed in a car crash. It really tore him up. He just seemed so down after that. Some of the other soldiers tried cheering him up, but he didn't listen. He just basically moped around in bed, only getting up to follow orders. He barely ate. Then, about three days ago, he just up and disappears, along with three other soldiers. We didn't have that many guys here, and there isn't any signs of civilization for about three-hundred kilometers in any direction. So, for four soldiers to disappear is kind of worrying. Then another three disappeared the next day, and another two yesterday and then today." the head soldier explained.

"Was there anything else before that?" Fox asked.

"Nothing unusual. There weren't even that many transmissions, just one telling us that an escort for some factory manager would be using our base to land…"

"Factory manager? What factory?" Fox asked.

"Some appliance factory in the nearest town. We saw him, real short guy, wore a big, green coat, which we found odd, considering the weather here. He landed then just went straight to the town. I think we even got something from that factory before…" the head soldier stated, remembering all he could about the factory. "Yeah, it was some appliance…a lamp, I think. I think it was actually Private Ian that received the package…"

"Could we see it, then?" Fox asked.

"Sure, follow us." the soldier said, leading the team to the barracks.

(The Barracks)

"Here, Private Ian's bed." the second soldier said, showing them a normal-looking sleeping didn't stand out, folded sheets, fluffed pillows, nightstand, and the lamp. Fox took the lamp and looked it over. He couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey, Slippy, can you find anything abnormal about this?" Fox asked, handing the lamp over to Slippy.

"Sure! One sec." Slippy said, sitting upon the ground, taking off his backpack. He pulled some device from his backpack and began waving it back and forth in front of the lamp.

"You're sure it's from that factory?" Krystal asked.

"Yeah, it said so on the box…" the head soldier said.

"Well, here's the box." Falco said, pulling out an opened package from a drawer in the nightstand.

"You just went through his stuff!?" Krystal asked, shocked at Falco's bluntness.

"Yeah. Why not? It's not like he's here…" Falco shrugged it off.

"Never mind. Lessee, Jatria Commercial Inc… that the company?" Fox asked looking down at the box.

"Sounds like it." the soldier agreed.

"Hah! Found something!" Slippy yelled, bouncing on the ground. He started dismantling the lamp, piece-by-piece.

"Woah, calm down there, Slips." Katt said, kneeling down next to him. Slippy had finished taking the lamp apart.

"SEE!! LOOK!!!!" Slippy said, shoving the lamp into Fox's face. Fox looked down at the lamp, not seeing anything.

"What am I looking for?" Fox asked.

"You don't see it? Look, here, it's a chip!" Slippy said, pointing to the base inside the lamp. A small microchip sat there.

"What's it do?" Katt asked, noticing the chip along with the others.

"I sense brainwave patterns emanating from it. It feels similar to the aparoids' hive-mind…" Krystal stated. "But it's pretty weak."

"Yeah, judging by the design, it looks like a type of mind-control device." Slippy said. "It's losing power though. I guess it did what it was supposed to do…"

"WAIT!? MIND-CONTROL!?!?" Falco exclaimed, shocked at what they had just said. "So that's what these jerks are after!?"

"Yeah, Falco. You didn't realize that when the citizens were attacking us?" Slippy said, smiling up at Falco.

"I knew that! I just thought they were after something bigger! Like military plans or something! But they just want to get some soldiers!?!?"

"Hey, Falco, with enough people, anybody could become as big a threat as Andross, just like General Pepper said." Fox reminded Falco.

"Yeah, you're right. So I take it we're heading for this factory then, right?"

"Right. You guys stay here. Send out a call to General Pepper for us. Tell him that we've found the source of problems here on Jatria, ok?" Fox asked the soldiers.

"Right, Mr. McCloud!" the soldiers said in unison, saluting.

"Come on, fearless leader, let's go!" Falco said, dragging Fox by his collar. The team filed out of their barracks and headed for their Arwings.

"We'll get our Arwings and head to town, then." Fox said "Hopefully, this factory manager didn't get any smart ideas yet…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Ok, here we go! It's been a while since I last updated, but it's not as long as some other stories! It took a bit to get back into my writing style, but I hope you enjoy this story. I finished playing Tales of Symphonia 2, and I have to say, it's a good game. But you really get more out of it if you've played the original one. It was significantly shorter than the first game as well. I'm thinking about doing a fanfic for it too, just so that way it seems longer. But here we go, Chapter 8! Anyone notice the movie reference? If you do, you get a cookie! Not really. But, time for Reviews! Yay!

Reviews:

Like I said! It's picking up steam!!!!! Thanks for all that reviewed or did anything with this story!

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-11-28 . chapter 7_

_well, i'm glad you managed to squeeze the dogfight in. obviously one of the coolest parts of the chapter. I have one request though. When you write about the battles, could you add a little more description on the weapons? I had a little trouble picturing the Fireburst pod.  
Well, I'm glad to see the story is finally picking up steam.  
Happy writing!  
~PSC~_

Glad you enjoyed the dogfight. I was just making up the whole thing as I went along. I had to think of the part when Fox called in from the surface, I almost forgot to put it in! The dogfight was awesome though. And sorry about the Fireburst pod, I played multiplayer on Assault with my friends so much, I just assumed everyone knew what I was talking about… So here's a description: it's a large, cylindrical device. It has four tripod-esque legs on it. It's all brown and it's capped. When it's activated, it's tripod legs plant firmly on the ground and extend, slowly pushing the pod upwards about an inch. After a second or so, it launches a bunch of grenades into the air, with the grenades having streams of multi-colored smoke following them. Getting hit by one means instant death, or instant-destruction of your vehicle. There ya go. Thanks for being a loyal fan!

-_Days of the phoenix__ 2008-11-29 . chapter 7_

_amazing. I think i know where this is going. I'll PM you._

Thanks. I didn't get your PM…but then again, I don't know where to look. Is it an email, or is there a section for them? I don't know so if someone could tell me, that'd be great. If I find it, I'll be sure to respond in the next review corner! I'd like to see what you think would happen!

-_notfromearth7__ 2008-11-30 . chapter 7_

_This has to be one of the best recent fics in ages. Although you overused the phrase "called out" it was good stuff._

Thanks. Hopefully others will realize that and start checking it out, too. And thanks for calling me out on that. I do believe "called out" was used 23 times! A new record! I tried working on that this chapter. Hope you noticed!


	9. Mind over Matter

Chapter 9: Mind over Matter

(Jatrian Flatlands)

Fox and the team rocketed over the savanna of Jatria, heading towards the nearest town: Kanawa. It only took them a matter of seconds before they reached the town. It wasn't that much different from that of Corneria, just lots of more vegetation growing around the streets.

"Shouldn't there be more people around here?" Falco asked aloud.

"I don't sense anyone." Krystal responded. The streets were bare, not a soul walking its streets. Fox, however, remained on task.

"Where's the factory now, Slippy?" Fox asked.

"We should turn the corner, now." Slippy responded. "It'll be on our left."

"Let's get this scumbag!" Falco said enthusiastically.

"As sly as ever, Falco." Katt joked.

(Jatria Commercial Incorporated)

The team landed a block away from the building, going the rest of the way on foot. Fox sidled up along the building, his blaster drawn. He held his breath and looked in the window.

The factory was empty, no machines were moving. The only thing he could see out of the ordinary was a large mass in the far corner. The window, however, was made of smoked glass, preventing Fox from seeing anything more.

"I can't tell what's in there. But there's definitely _something_ in there…" Fox announced.

"I think it's the townspeople, Fox!" Krystal said, concentrating inside the factory. "Something's interfering with my senses, though."

At that moment, a large, hangar door down the wall from their position opened up. Fox and the others quickly rushed behind the corner to avoid detection. Several men walked out, waving something inside the building out. A moment later, a cargo ship flew out, going into the atmosphere.

"Quick! We can sneak in through there!" Fox thought aloud. He dashed over to the door, the animals that had walked out already back inside the building, the door closing. Fox slid into the adjacent wall inside the building, followed by Katt, Falco, Krystal, and Slippy. They immediately rushed behind large boxes with the factory label upon them. Fox looked over the top of the boxes to see what exactly they had just entered.

He could see the several animals from before, joining a conglomeration of others, all of them standing obediently before a podium. After the rest of the animals joined the group, a figure in green rose to the pedestal. The crowd roared as he ascended. He allowed the applause to last a minute, then waved his hands to quiet the crowd. He took the microphone upon the pedestal, testing it. He took a deep breath, the crowd anxiously awaiting his words.

"The Mind has sent an edict! As the members of his body, we shall comply!!! Already his plan has been set into motion! LYLAT-" the figure started.

"IS IN OUR HANDS!!!" the crowd finished.

"As his glorious Palm, Palm Nordon, I will crush those that resist the Mind!" the man in green roared.

The crowd exploded in applause, awaiting the next statement just to glorify it.

"Yes, I believe we will start with the interlopers in our presence! SEIZE THEM!!!" the man announced.

Fox's ears perked up at the announcement. He looked up, seeing the group begin to mobilize. To his surprise, they converged around others in their group. Two cloaked citizens were thrust out into the open, gathering their composure.

"What do you have to say for yourselves!?" the little man demanded.

The two figures only looked to the ground.

"YOU WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO!!!!" the green-cloaked figure yelled. Members of the crowd took sticks and struck the back of the figures' knees, causing them to collapse to the ground.

Fox watched on, relieved to see they hadn't been caught, but he felt sorry for those taking the punishment.

"We've got to do something!" Katt said to Fox, peering up from the boxes next to him.

"Yeah, this ain't right." Falco agreed.

"Right, but what can we do?" Fox thought aloud. "Krystal, can you sense any mind-control devices in effect?"

"Yes, but there's multiple ones. They're scattered about the room, running at a high-frequency." Krystal explained.

"Slippy, you can scan the room for these devices as well, right?"

"Sure thing!" Slippy said, taking out another device from his backpack.

At that moment, the man in green ordered more citizens to strike the two cloaked ones, knocking them unconscious. He laughed at their motionless bodies, causing the rest of the crowd to break into an uproar of laughter as well. Fox couldn't hear anything until the laughter died down. The little man had started talking again, tears forming in his face.

"-ahah, ah, now that we've taken care of the pests masquerading as us, now it's time to get rid of those that openly obstruct our progress!" the man announced.

Fox looked up at the boxes again, the citizens now heading toward their location behind the boxes.

"GET THEM!!!!!" the man roared.

"They found us!!!" Fox told the rest of them, jumping out from behind the boxes.

The team scattered in different directions from behind the boxes. Fox went off to right, Slippy sidling along the factory door where they entered, almost following Fox. Falco and Katt went alongside the adjacent wall to the left, and Krystal climbed a ladder near Falco and Katt up to a catwalk.

"Slippy!! Krystal!!! Find the devices and destroy them!!! Falco, Katt, and I'll cover you!!!" Fox strategized. He pulled out his blaster, firing at the legs of the citizens, making sure to avoid fatal blows. Katt and Falco followed suit, firing off into the crowd.

Krystal focused her senses, concentrating on where the closest device was located. She rushed over the catwalk, finding a switchbox located on the wall. She took her blaster and shot the lock off of the switchbox. She found a thin, cylindrical tube inside the switchbox. She took the hilt of her blaster and smashed the tube, shattering it into little pieces. She felt the brain-wave signal dissipate instantly, so she moved on.

Slippy rushed over to a nearby van held inside the factory. He took out another device from his backpack. He waved the sensor in front of the van, slowly scanning the van and the wall behind it. He found a switchbox on the wall behind the van. He took out the second device and aimed it at the lock on the switchbox. He pulled the trigger, firing off a highly-pressurized blast of air, smashing a dent into the switchbox. He saw a cylindrical tube inside the box, waving the sensor in front of it. Sure of himself, he aimed the air blaster at the tube and shattered it with a blast of air.

Katt and Falco slowly inched along the wall, firing off into the group. Countless numbers fell to the ground, but the hold on their minds were strong. They would get up after a second or so, dragging their injured limbs behind them.

"They just keep coming!" Falco cried out, dropping the nearest two citizens.

"Just keep shooting!" Katt reminded him.

Fox, in the meantime, aimed his shots carefully into the crowd. Most of the group had focused upon Katt and Falco, so he picked off those at the back of the group. When a path had been cleared, he rushed his way up to the podium. There, he stood face-to-face with the green-cloaked man. He was a koala, and he started snickering when Fox reached the top of the steps.

"So, Mr. McCloud, what an honor it is to meet you! The Mind told me about you! He said you'd be causing trouble. I'm so glad I get to finish you off now, the Mind will be so happy!" the koala chuckled. "He'll say: 'I'm so glad I trusted you, Nordon! You have brought me the head of my enemy! I need someone like you to rule beside me. Come, Nordon!'"

The koala chuckled to himself, making Fox anxious.

_He's clearly lost it. What the heck does he think he's doing?_

"Now, my pesky Fox. It's time you went goodnight!" the koala screamed, throwing his green-coat open, revealing two Gatling guns. As he lifted the Gatling guns into ready position, he shoved a box out into the crowd with his foot. "There my Digits! Use those to your liking! Take care of these non-believers. LYLAT IS IN OUR HANDS!!!"

The crowd swarmed upon the box, drawing weapons of various types from it.

"Oh, crap!" Falco said, grabbing Katt and diving behind the boxes from before, narrowly avoiding machine gun fire.

Krystal had taken out another device in the upper-corner of the catwalk when laser-fire ricocheted off the ceiling. She ducked down, concentrating to see where any other devices were, as the citizens below shouted and screamed, firing their weapons off randomly in her direction.

Slippy had run to the front of the podium, taking out another device set upon its face. When he saw the citizens arming themselves with weapons, he rushed behind the van from before, covering his head. Laser-fire followed his movements, clipping his back. He was unharmed, however, only his clothes smoking.

Fox had a stand-off with the koala, his blaster drawn. They circled each other upon the podium stage.

"Nordon, was it? What is it your group plans to do?" Fox asked, continuing his circling motions.

"Why would I tell a commoner like you!? The Hands of Lylat are for the elite! The Mind nor his Palms would dare reveal anything to the likes of you! You're even below a filthy Digit!" the koala sniped.

"What gives you the right to take control of innocent people like this!?" Fox accused.

"The Mind! The Mind gives me the right!!! His will is absolute!! He's promised us a new age for Lylat!! One where we can exist!!!" Nordon daydreamed. "Enough of the questions! DIE!!!!"

The Gatling guns rattled in the koala's arms, lasers sprinkling from the point. Fox dove behind the podium, his back facing the koala. When he tried to peek out, lasers flew where he was, forcing him to retract his head.

"Uh-uh-uhh! I can see you there!" Nordon jested.

Krystal continued to duck behind the safety of the catwalk. Constant laser-fire continued to stream from the citizens as they laughed. Krystal took this time to concentrate her senses. She could sense only one device remaining, coming from the center of the ceiling. She opened her eyes to find the device. She couldn't see anything. Then, a lone blast shot upwards, striking something in the ceiling. A cover was knocked loose, revealing the last switchbox. Krystal tried aiming her blaster towards the box, only to have more lasers fire up towards her.

"Slippy! The last device is on the ceiling!!!" Krystal called to Slippy over the ensuing chaos. Slippy peeked out from behind the van, seeing Krystal pointing to the loose cover-door upon the ceiling.

"Got it!" Slippy announced, readying his air gun. He steadied his shaking hands. Nordon, however, had noticed the team's efforts to thwart their plans.

"Get him you idiots!!" Nordon screamed, pointing at Slippy.

The citizens turned towards Slippy. Slippy fired off a blast, just as a laser struck his left-hand. He fell to the floor, clutching his hand. The air-blast, however, struck its target. Only half of the tube remained. Krystal looked down at the citizens, but they continued to fire.

_What's wrong!? We destroyed the device!_

She concentrated her senses again. She could feel slight brain-wave patterns emanating from what remained of the device.

"It's not completely destroyed!" she called out. She tried to shoot, only to be stopped by the citizens again.

"I'm tired of this crap!!!" Falco yelled. He ran out from behind the crates, heading towards the ammunitions box the citizens scavenged.

"FALCO!!! NO!!!" Katt called after him.

Falco dove at the box, picking it up as he sprinted over to Slippy's van. He reached in, looking for something to use. He pulled out a single grenade.

_Good as anything!_

He activated the grenade and tossed it into the air, aiming for the switchbox. As he finished his toss, he was struck by several blasts of laser fire. He fell to the ground near Slippy, his left shoulder struck twice, one shot striking his torso.

The grenade exploded right when it neared the switchbox. Several chunks of ceiling fell to the ground. Krystal sensed the absence of the brain-wave and looked down at the citizens. They all had collapsed to the ground.

"NOOO!!!" Nordon screamed.

Fox took advantage of this distraction. He quickly aimed his blaster at the koala's feet and shot a blast. It struck Nordon's right foot. The koala cried out in pain. Fox rushed out from his hiding spot, sprinting toward the koala.

"TAKE THIS!!!" Fox yelled, his left knee connecting with the koala's chin. The koala was sent into the air for several seconds, flying backwards. He crashed upon the ground with a thud.

(Jatrian Base)

Fox and the team gathered everyone inside the factory and placed them inside the several vans. They rode over to the base, where the soldiers took over.

"Thank you, Team StarFox!" the head soldier said. He looked over to Nordon, who was tied up. "So he's the cause of all of this?"

"Yep. Him and his little devices." Fox confirmed. Fox looked around, the citizens had regained their senses and started to help out with the rest of the cleanup. "So you got all of your soldiers back?"

"Yessir, Mr. McCloud! Everyone's accounted for. Even Ian!" the second soldier announced, indicating a soldier helping out dressing wounds.

"Good, good. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask both him and Nordon a couple of questions before we leave." Fox stated.

"Sure thing." Wilson responded. "We couldn't have done any of this without your help!"

Fox walked over to where Private Ian was.

"Hey, Private Ian?" Fox asked.

"Yessir!" Ian saluted.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Of course, sir!" Ian said, finishing wrapping a citizen's leg. The two walked past several portable cots, one of which had Slippy and Falco.

"AHH!!! That hurts!!" Falco yelled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" Katt told him, biting off the bandage as she finished wrapping his shoulder. "There, done!"

"Thanks, Katt." Falco said, rotating his arm to check for pains.

"Wow, Falco. That's like, the second time I've ever heard you actually say 'thanks'." Slippy said, laughing.

"Shut up, Froggy! Why don't you thank the both of us! We're the ones that dragged your unconscious body out of that factory!" Falco roared.

"_Me_ thank _you_!? Why would I do that!? If it wasn't for me, you'd still be getting shot at!"

"Please! It was my grenade that finished the device! You just got shot in the hand and fainted!"

"Ok, boys, settle down. Now help me clean up the rest of these guys!" Katt said, dragging Falco and Slippy behind her.

Krystal was sitting atop her Arwing.

"-so we're coming up in a little bit." Krystal finished saying to her wrist communicator.

"Alright, then. I'll have a large meal all ready for when you guys get back! It'll be marvelous!" Peppy said. "See you then."

Krystal closed the link and descended from her Arwing.

_If it was this bad on this planet, I wonder how bad it is elsewhere…_

"Hey, Krystal! Help us out here, will ya!?" Katt called over, Falco and Slippy mummifying one citizen behind her.

"Alright." Krystal responded, jogging over to the medical cots.

Fox and Ian ignored the commotion as they were out of earshot.

"Now, tell me, do you remember anything before you disappeared?" Fox asked, going straight to the point.

"Not really. I remember getting the message from the Commander that my brother died. It really tore me up. Ever since both of our parents died, we've always relied on each other. Losing him really tore me up inside." Ian explained.

"Do you remember getting the lamp? The one from Jatria Commercial?" Fox continued.

"Wait, yeah. I think I do… oh that's right! I remember now! It was from my brother! He ordered it for me since I told him I couldn't get much reading done out here with the light from Solar so far away. I guess he looked for a company near here and ordered it. But I got it after I heard about his death, so it only made me sadder."

"And you used it that night?"

"Yeah. I turned it on for some reading, trying to get my mind off my brother's death. Then I remember it started to get late, so I turned it off and tried to get to sleep. It was almost lights-out anyway… then there was this…buzzing…" Ian drifted off.

"A buzzing?" Fox asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, it started out as a buzzing, then it became something else. It went to a…drone…after that. Then it…" Ian's face turned pale. "Then it became a…a voice."

"A VOICE!?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, it was real deep, and eerie. It called out to me. It told me about my brother, about how he didn't have to die…then it went dark." Ian remembered.

"Do you remember the exact words!?" Fox inquired.

"It was like: 'Adyx didn't have to die. In my world, all is one. There is no strife. Join us. Allow us to take your life into our hands…'" Ian quoted.

"Ok, thank you for your help." Fox said, noticing Ian's expression of worry.

"Oh, yeah, ok then." Ian said, color returning to his face.

"You go back to help out the rest of the citizens, now." Fox ordered.

"Yessir!" Ian said, rushing back to the medical cots.

_Now for Nordon._

Fox went over to the bound Koala. He picked him up by the collar of his green coat. Nordon looked off to the side.

"What are you doing here!?" Fox asked through barred teeth.

"Like I'd tell dirt like you!" Nordon spat out.

"I'll ask you again, what do the Hands of Lylat plan on doing!?" Fox asked, shaking him slightly.

"Go to Hell!" Nordon said, spitting on Fox.

Fox tossed him to the ground, then kicked him in the face. Krystal and the others looked over, then continued their cleanup, telling the citizens to concentrate.

"I'm asking you nicely! What was the point of coming here!?"

"To rid the world of scum like you!"

"WRONG ANSWER!" Fox said, kicking him in the face again. Nordon spat out blood, then glared up at Fox. Fox glared right back. "We're going to stop you, and your organization! We're Team StarFox!"

"Hah! It's too late to stop us now! Your precious Corneria will be the first to fall! Your emotions will get the better of you! Our devices are set!" Nordon laughed.

"What do you mean!?" Fox asked, kneeling on the ground, grasping his collar again.

"Bon Voyage!" Nordon smiled.

Fox suddenly remembered the ship from the factory.

"WHERE'S THAT SHIP HEADED!?!?!?" Fox asked, shaking Nordon violently. The koala only laughed. Fox dropped the koala back on the ground and rushed over to the others.

"WE HAVE TO GO, NOW!!!" Fox yelled.

"What? Why? What's wrong Fox?" Krystal asked. But Fox ignored her. Instead, he pulled up Peppy on his communicator.

"PEPPY!!!! Did any ships leave Jatria's atmosphere in the past four hours!?"

"Huh, what? Yes, one cargo ship." Peppy said calmly.

"Can you track it!?" Fox asked anxiously.

"Um, yeah, one second." Peppy said, looking towards another screen. "It's headed towards Corneria, why?"

Fox cut the link.

"EVERYBODY MOVE, NOW!!! CORNERIA IS IN DANGER!!!!!"

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Author's Notes: Whoot. Fast chapter upload. Not much has really changed between now and yesterday… I just had to write this chapter though. Another battle scene, and pretty kickass if I may say so myself. Face kicking, awesome. So, yeah, I think I will do a Tales of Symphonia 2 fanfic. I really suggest you people check out the two games, they're really good for those that like RPGs.

Reviews:

Only one, can't expect that many in only a day's time.

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-12-07 . chapter 8_

_to answer your question, it's actually in your E-Mail, and also... I'm one of those people who can't fully unlock everything no matter how hard I tried... :P_

The chapter was great(as usual)! Meh... I didn't get the movie reference...  
~PSC~ (as if you didn't know)

Thanks for the info, kind sir/madame. I read the PM and I have to say Days of the Phoenix got it right on the money. I even got a new idea now, thanks to that PM! So everybody thank Days of the Phoenix. And don't worry about unlocking everything, I played Assault an **insane** amount of time with my friends. Like over 600 hours. That much. It's crazy. And for those that care. The movie reference is "Saving Private Ryan". Private _Ian_ = Private _Ryan_. I know, bad. But I get to put my bad jokes in! I'm the author damn it. Remember, you can't spell '_authoritay_' without 'author'! Thanks for the encouraging reviews. I hope you continue to read and enjoy!


	10. Clouded Thoughts

Chapter 10: Clouded Thoughts

(Cornerian Academy)

A young vulpine dashed down the hallways of the Cornerian Academy, his footsteps echoing ahead of him. He held his schedule up, his eyes scanning the page for the correct information. They quickly found it, leading him down yet another hallway. The fluorescent lights watched the vulpine as he made his way down the abandoned halls, stopping in front of a lone classroom.

_Room 203._

The vulpine pushed the door open…

(Jatrian Sky)

Fox and the others sped their Arwings over the many grasslands of Jatria, giving no thought to the marvelous scenery that expanded below them. Fox's mind raced as he contemplated his next move.

_DAMN HIM!!! Even when we defeat him, we fail to stop his plans! AAH!!! What could Nordon have planned to use that cargo truck for!?_

Fox was so engrossed in these thoughts that he failed to notice the face of a blue vixen appear upon his wrist communicator.

"Fox? Fox, please calm down. We'll stop them! We're here to help you! We saved Jatria. Come on, Fox, listen to me!" the vixen cried out.

"Yeah, Foxy, listen to her. Here she is, looking at the bright side, and all you can do is stare out the window!" Katt said, her face coming onto the communicator as well.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks guys. I just…need time to think…" Fox said, taking a deep breath.

"Ok, Fox. Just remember, you're here with us. If you need anything, we're here for you. You're not alone." Krystal said solemnly.

"Thanks, Krystal."

(Jatria's Orbit)

The Arwings pulled out into the void of space. Fox's Arwing steadily pulled ahead, the others beginning to fall behind.

"Hey, Fox, mind waiting up for the rest of us?" Falco asked sarcastically.

"What? Oh. Sorry." Fox said, letting his Arwing slowly drift back among the others.

Peppy's face suddenly appeared on everybody's communicators.

"Hey, gang. Back so soon?" Peppy asked, a grin on his face.

"No time, Peppy. Open the docking bay doors." Fox said anxiously.

"Whoa, ok. Hang on a sec." Peppy said, shocked at Fox's cold words.

The Arwings approached the Great Fox, quickly pulling in to the docking bay. Fox jumped out of his Arwing and rushed to the inner areas of the Great Fox, leaving the rest of the team behind.

"This sure is making him crazy, isn't it?" Falco asked the others.

"He's worrying me." Krystal said with a tinge of sorrow.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Katt reassured Krystal with a smile. "He may act all tense at times, but his intentions are always true. His moral compass is always pointing north. Sometimes, a little too north…"

"Come on. We're falling behind enough as it is. If he gets any farther ahead, he'll already be at Corneria by the time we get up to the bridge." Falco said, holding the door open for everyone else again, letting it close behind him.

(The Bridge)

Fox quickly moved around the bridge, typing different commands into several keyboards. ROB managed to keep up with his commands, but Peppy had a little more trouble.

"Do we know where that cargo ship is!?" Fox asked, nearly yelling aloud.

"Um, wait, uh, here it is! It just used the Orbital Gate. It's entering Corneria's atmosphere now." Peppy said, struggling to keep up with Fox's demands.

"Ugh, come on!" Fox said aloud.

Fox finished his work with the keyboards and took his seat by the time the others entered the room. He typed in several more commands on the keyboard on his armrest. A holographic message appeared, showing the Cornerian Emblem. After a second, the face of General Pepper showed up.

"General Pepper here. Ah, Fox! I received word from the soldiers of Jatria! They said that you had located the problems there. I take it you were able to resolve them…" General Pepper started.

"Yessir, General Pepper." Fox said hurriedly. "But there's something I need to tell you about. The leader of the attacks here, he uses some sort of device to take control of the people around here. We have reason to believe that he sent some of those devices to Corneria…" Fox explained.

"Oh. Well, what do you advise we do?" General Pepper asked.

"We've been tracking the cargo ship as it left Jatria. Can you locate it? It just recently entered Cornerian airspace." Fox nearly pleaded. ROB transferred the information over to the General.

"Hang on a moment. Aggh, it's no good. There's too much traffic here. It'll be a little bit before we can track it. Get back here as soon as possible. We'll charge the Orbital Gate. It'll be ready within the hour! Pepper, out!" the General said, his hologram disappearing.

"ROB, estimated time until Orbital Gate appears!" Fox demanded.

"Estimated time 34 minutes, 53 seconds." the robot whirred.

"Everybody, get ready! I want to be able to run off the Great Fox when we get to Corneria!" Fox ordered.

"Yessir!" Falco mocked, saluting.

The team rushed down to their rooms, not wanting to give Fox a reason to explode. Katt, already being packed, waited in the living area. Peppy made his way down to the living area as well. He took a seat at the table. Katt walked over to him, concerned about the absence of his usual cheery disposition.

"Hey, Peppy, you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry yourself." Peppy avoided.

"Come on, Peppy, you can tell me." Katt said, taking a seat across from him. He thought to himself for a moment, then sighed.

"It's just that…Fox's father would act like this, too. He would always get like that whenever a mission started to get personal. It's just bringing back old memories…" Peppy said, his eyes lost in the past.

"It's ok, Peppy. We'll sort all of this out. We'll get whatever those things are and destroy them! You can count on us. Then Fox'll be back to normal, kay?" she asked with a convincing smile.

"Alright. So are you already packed? You don't want Fox to lecture you. He's had too much experience with me lecturing _him_." Peppy joked.

"Yeah, I'm packed. Didn't have much time to unpack…" Katt said slowly, her thoughts going back to the night before they reached Jatria.

"You don't say. Well, in any case, the team will probably come back here any second. I'm sure Fox already formulated a plan for you guys to follow." Peppy said with a smile. "Just like James. Only now, I don't have anything to do…"

"Why don't you make us a fancy celebratory dinner. That way it'll be ready by the time we get back and we can all enjoy our success." Katt suggested.

"Perfect! I'll get right on it!" Peppy jumped up, rushing into the kitchen.

Katt went back to take a seat on the couch, the door to the living area opening. Fox walked in immediately, sliding his backpack off from his arms. He took a seat at the table, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently.

"Where are they!? I told them to be ready! We'll never get things done at this pace!" Fox cursed aloud.

"Hey, Fox. Calm down." Katt told him across the room. "We've still got a good twenty minutes at least before we can even use the Gate. We got time."

"NO! We don't!!!" Fox burst out, standing up from his seat. "That _scum_ is planning something! They set their plan in motion before we even knew what was going on! You think we still have time!? Corneria could be in flames by the time we get there!!!"

Katt was about to respond when the living area doors opened again, revealing the rest of the team.

"Hey, Fox! Hey, Katt! We're here!" Slippy said with a large grin. He then noticed the tension hanging in the air. "Is something wrong?" Slippy asked tentatively.

"No. Now everybody come here. I'll brief you on my plan." Fox said, his rage cooling down to a murmur of what it once was. A tinge of anger, however, could be heard behind each word.

"Oh, come on, Fox. What's so difficult about this? We get down there, we find that cargo, and we smash it. One-two-three." Falco said, nonchalant.

"You think it's that easy!? Well, it isn't!!! Now sit down and pay attention!!!" Fox nearly yelled, his voice echoing off the walls.

"Hey, Fox! We're your teammates! Back off! We know you want to protect everyone, but you're going to have to simmer down first!" Falco shot back.

"Yes, Fox. You've been acting strangely ever since we left Jatria…" Krystal added. "You're not yourself."

Fox only stared at them. He took a breath and sat down. He pressed a couple of buttons, bringing up a diagram of the space around Corneria. An image representing the Great Fox sat in a chunk of space.

"We'll leave the Great Fox by Arwing, and head down towards here." Fox said, indicating a point on Corneria's surface. " The Great Fox will go to the Hangars in the meantime. The General got the information about the cargo ship, it went through Montoya Shipping. We'll go down to the surface and question those at Montoya. Once we get our answers, we'll track down the ship from there."

"Ok, Fox." Krystal said. "We'll always be here to help you."

A metallic voice cracked onto the loudspeakers.

"Orbital Gate opening. Prepare for jump to Corneria." the voice clanged.

"Let's go." Fox said.

(Room 203)

The young vulpine walked into the room, surprised to see only one other person sitting in the room. He walked over and sat down next to him.

"Hi." the vulpine said.

"Hi." the tadpole said back.

"I'm Fox, Fox McCloud." the vulpine started, holding his hand out.

"I'm Slippy, Sli-wait. Did you say, McCloud? You mean like Mr. James McCloud is your father?" the tadpole asked, shocked.

"Yeah…" Fox said, looking down. Slippy noticed his unease about that topic, so he quickly changed the topic.

"So, I'm Slippy Toad!" he yelled out awkwardly. He held out a short, underdeveloped hand.

"But you're not a toad…" Fox mentioned, taking the small hand in his.

"Not yet, I'll grow into it." Slippy explained.

"Oh, ok. So uh, where's the rest of the class?" Fox asked, moving on.

"This is it so far. Everybody else has decided to take this whole week off. But, my dad told me to come here anyway. He wants me to make sure I get an education from the beginning, right from the first day!"

"So where's the teacher then?"

"In the teacher's lounge. He's been there for the past thirty minutes." Slippy said, looking down at a small device in his hands.

"How do you know?" Fox asked.

"This." Slippy said, holding up the device in his hands. "It's a tracking device, I put it on the teacher to test it out."

"Where'd you get it?"

"I made it. I've been good with these types of things. It just takes a long time. When my arms get longer, I'll be able to work faster."

"Wow." Fox managed to say, looking down at the device. The little dot on the screen started to move.

"Looks like he's heading towards the main office. I guess we'll have to wait a little longer."

As the two looked down at the screen, the door to the room opened again.

"Come on, Falco! We're here!" a feminine voice said. A cat and a bird walked in, surprised to see only two people in the classroom, with no teacher. "This is…Cornerian History, right?"

"Yeah. The teacher's at the main office right now, though." Slippy explained.

"Oh, ok then." the feline said with a smile. She pulled on the avian's hand. "Come on, Falco, let's get a seat!"

The avian allowed himself to be dragged to the next pair of seats next to Slippy and Fox. The four sat there for a couple of minutes. Fox and Slippy continued to watch the tracker, Falco and Katt talking amongst themselves. Katt broke the silence between the groups after a while.

"This isn't much fun. Hey, you, fox-boy, what do you have after this class?" Katt asked over Falco's head.

"Huh, me?" Fox asked, breaking away from the tracker. "Uh, let's see… Mechanics."

Katt pulled out her own schedule, taking Falco's out of his pocket as well.

"Room 117?" Katt asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, it looks like we're going to be in the same classes then. I'm Katt Monroe. How 'bout you fox-boy?" Katt asked.

"I'm Fox, Fox McCloud." Fox said in response. Falco's eyes widened as he heard his name. He turned, noticing the StarFox emblem resting on the vulpine's uniform.

"Wait, you mean McCloud, the mercenary?" Falco asked. "The one why everyone else is acting all sad and everything!?"

"Yeah, my father was James McCloud. Why?"

"I got a question for you, then!" Falco said, his voice gaining intensity with each word. "What makes your father so important!? Why is it the world is _so_ upset for his death when soldiers go into battle against Andross everyday and die pointlessly!?"

Katt and Slippy stared up at Falco, only able to watch.

"What!? What are you talking about!?" Fox asked, feeling defensive.

"Why is it that people only notice what's going on around them when _your_ father dies!? They don't care when it's _other_ people's parents, _other_ people's families! What makes _your_ family so special!?" Falco yelled, tears forming in his eyes.

"I-I don't…" Fox stammered.

"You don't know!? Or is it you don't care!? Well, you want to know something? I'm glad your father died!" Falco screamed. He ran out the room, flinging the door open as he ran out.

"Falco, wait!" Katt pleaded, running into the hallway after him.

Fox fell down into his seat, his eyes staring blankly into oblivion.

(Cornerian Atmosphere)

The team walked down the cold metallic hallways of the Great Fox in total silence. No one wanted to say a thing, lest Fox's temper go sour once again. They walked into the docking bay, the tint of green light ever present in the room echoing out into the void of space. Fox mechanically entered his Arwing, the others following suit. Fox was the first one to talk when they entered space.

"Everyone ready?" Fox asked coldly.

"Yeah, set to go." Falco replied just as coldly, avoiding looking at the communicator.

"Good, let's go then." Fox stated, his Arwing boosting down to Corneria. The others followed him towards surface. Peppy's face appeared on the communicator as they rushed down through the atmosphere.

"I'll take the Great Fox to the hangars, then. See you all when you finish." Peppy said solemnly. The link disconnected, the Great Fox slowly turning, facing a point on the planet's surface. The large ship boosted with surprising speed down towards the planet.

"This ends now." Fox said to himself, his attention returning to the mission. The Arwings broke through the atmosphere and settled in the air.

(Cornerian Sky)

The Arwings ripped through the sky, Cornerian ocean rushing beneath them as they sped past. The city of Corneria sat in front of the Arwings, growing ever closer, only a bright speck on the horizon. The team, however, remained ever silent. This silence left Fox alone with his thoughts. He stared down at the ocean, watching the endless waves speed by.

_Maybe I am too irrational…I don't know. Krystal and Falco are right, though. If I'm going to take care of this, I'll need help from the rest of them. And I'm going to have to settle down for that to happen. I just want to keep everyone safe. People don't deserve this type of pain. No one should have to feel what I felt…_

Fox broke away from his thoughts, staring down at the expanse of ocean for only a second more. He turned on the communicator.

"Everyone, I have something to say. I'm-I'm sorry for how I acted before." Fox stammered out.

"Eh, it's ok, Foxy. We're here for ya. Remember that." Falco said, a grin back on his face. "It's good to have ya back, fur pile."

"Yeah, Fox. We want to stop these guys as much as you do!" Slippy enthusiastically said in his seat.

"You know it! These guys are going down!" Katt added as well.

"Thanks everyone. I can't do this alone. I'm going to need all the help I can get." Fox responded to all of them.

"Yes, Fox. Remember, we'll always be here for you." Krystal quietly uttered. Fox barely heard it. He smiled down at her image on the communicator. As he looked down, however, he saw a glint in the ocean. He pulled to the side as a laser shot out of the ocean.

"Evasive maneuvers!!! They've set up an ambush!!!" Fox ordered.

As Fox and the others separated, several ships popped out of the ocean. Fox boosted, turning his Arwing around to face the oncoming attackers.

"It looks like they expected us to come after that cargo ship!" Fox said to the others, heading towards the ships. Three ships out of the fifteen started heading for Fox.

"Yeah. I guess we should appreciate their welcoming party. I mean, they went through all of the trouble of setting it up." Falco laughed, a large grin still sitting on his face. He shot several lasers out, two of which clipped the wing of one fighter, leaving smoking marks where it came into contact.

Fox made a beeline for the center of the dogfight. The three fighters concentrated on him fired their lasers. Fox weaved between them. He merely watched as the red beams passed overhead, like pieces of decorative ribbons soaring through the sky. One laser managed to find a route to the Arwing. Fox watched it as it came close, then used a barrel roll to deflect it. Fox looked forward as the world spun around him, the sky and the ocean switching places every second. When he saw the glint of the laser enter the ocean, he shot out lasers of his own. Two of the opposing ships crashed down into the ocean. He passed the third one, unable to aim his laser fast enough. He executed a U-turn, in hopes of being able to catch it. The pilot, however, saw this coming, and boosted below Fox's Arwing, flying out into open air.

"This is taking too long!" Fox said after several minutes. "The city will be under their control by the time we finish this!"

"Go, then, Fox! We can handle ourselves here! Head for that shipping company! Don't worry, we'll catch up!" Falco said, spiraling upwards to shake off an enemy.

"Are you sure?"

"GO!"

With that, Fox boosted off, taking down one more foe as he sped towards the city. Falco sighed as he looked down at his radar: Nine left. He merely glanced at the fleeting figure of Fox's Arwing, then returned to the task at hand.

"LET'S DO THIS BULLSHIT!!!" Falco roared, rushing off into battle.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: HOLY CRAP!!! Sorry folks. It's a loooooong story. So I'll start from the beginning. My laptop had been experiencing battery problems for a while now. And by battery problems, I mean like, at times, the battery would stop receiving energy from the power cord. And when I tried plugging it back in, it wouldn't read. So, after a while, if I didn't get the connection set back up, the computer would shut down entirely, because, well, it wouldn't have energy. And getting the connection back up was a total BITCH! Seriously, about 30 minutes to an hour of wiggling the cord, hoping the little orange light on the laptop would hold. So, about a week or two ago, I sent the computer back to the company to fix this little problem. I forgot, however, to send myself an email containing the 3/4 of this chapter that I had already typed up. I only got my computer back three days ago. And, being a sentimentalist, I didn't feel like re-doing most of this chapter on my sister's laptop, because I feel that I had captured a gist of the emotion in what was already written, and that if I accidentally left a part out in my re-write, the impact of it wouldn't be as great. So I apologize for the wait. I do hope, though, that you enjoy the revelations present in this chapter. Fox has PMS and Falco had it when he was like 6. But, that aside, I enjoyed writing that little paragraph about Fox's dogfight. BARREL ROLL!!!!! That's ELA writing skills at work! Oh well. Now that my computer's back, I'll get back to writing this here fanfic. Thank you to those that will continue reading this despite my absence. Oh, and I apologize if anyone was offended by that last bit of indecency in the last sentence. If anyone has seen the G-Man squad on Youtube, you'll know why I needed to put that in. I just _had_ to have that in there. Now for reviews!

Reviews:

There was an influx of reviews this time! That's kind of why I had 3/4 of this chapter done before I sent my computer in. I wanted to get all of these in! Arrgh. Oh well. Here they are now!

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-12-07 . chapter 9_

_Wow... I can't wait for the next chapter to see what the new idea is. You ended with a cliffhanger, which will now drive me insane waiting for the update... but I'll live. The fight scene was amazing, and very well detailed.  
Happy writing!  
~PSC~ (one of the last surviving Male gamers and fanfiction writers)_

Well, here we are gentlemen. And by gentlemen, I mean basically you and me since male gamers/fanfiction writers are of a dying breed apparently. Who knew? Thank you for the constant encouragement. This is half the reason I write. The encouragement of fans is always refreshing and having a die-hard such as yourself really makes me proud. Seriously sorry for the long wait. If you haven't entered a mental institution from waiting since you wrote that comment, I can't even imagine what could've happened during that long expanse of time when I stopped all together. The new idea isn't present in this chapter, but I promise, it'll come up soon, possibly. And, by the way, I love that cliffhanger. I wanted to see how people would respond with that, haha. But again, thank you for your continued devotion to this story.

-_theXbeat08__ 2008-12-07 . chapter 9_

_This fic is so good. I feel bad for not reviewing yet, but I've been reading from the beginning. You had me hooked on this story from the first chapter, which was awesome. The whole story just sort of rolled from there, all going really nicely. Just one thing: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? It's getting really intense! Keep it up!_

_Good luck,  
theXbeat08_

Thank you for the compliment. I was waiting for a review from you. I saw that you were one of the first people to favorite this story. Second, to be exact. I really appreciate having another loyal fan added to the roster. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Don't worry, it'll all unfold soon, I think. To be frank, even I'm not quite sure what's going to happen next. I didn't even plan that dogfight at the end, it just kind of popped up when I was writing. Just goes to show how this story can change a simple "Go from point A to point B" piece into an epic battle. So here's to continuing, thank you for your devotion as well.

-_GamerJay__ 2008-12-07 . chapter 9_

_Superb plot, razor sharp dialogue and near-heart stopping action. What more could I describe which makes this fic an excellent read?_

_You just need to work on your spelling, and we'll have a winner on our hands._

_Keep up the good work. :-)_

Thank you for the compliments as well. Heart stopping, huh? I like the sound of that. Just one question, and I really don't want to sound uppity. Just, what spelling errors, specifically? I'd get right on them, it's just that, I didn't notice any…If you could point out a couple when you next review, it'd be greatly appreciated. That's the beauty of this system. I want to make this fic as near perfect as possible, and any mistakes should be rectified as soon as possible. I await your response and hope you continue to enjoy this story.

-_notfromearth7__ 2008-12-08 . chapter 8_

_No overuse of quotation tags, good job. The only thing I could've asked for was a longer battle scene, but that's just me._

_Good job!_

_notfromearth7__ 2008-12-10 . chapter 9_

_This is an excellent story! I mean really, this is good. It rivals most of the new stories on this site._

Thank you for continued devotion as well! That gives me a grand total of about three loyal fans. Yeah, I kinda rushed that battle scene in chapter 8. Even though I wrote it a seemingly long time ago, I still remember why it was so short. Like this chapter, I wrote it at around 4 A.M., and I wanted to finish that chapter as soon as possible, since I was so tired. But don't worry, there'll be plenty of more battles to come. In the meantime, I hope this dogfight will appease you. And thank you very much for the compliments. I really enjoy writing this. Starfox 64 was the first game I had, if I exclude Pokémon Red. So I have this special devotion to this fanfic. I think that's why it is the way it is. Hope you enjoy the chapters to come!


	11. Passing By

Chapter 11: Passing By

(Corneria City)

Fox landed his Arwing on top of the landing pad on one of the lower buildings. He jumped out, rushing for the door to the leading inside the building. He rushed down the staircase, only to be confronted by a dressed-up Labrador escorted by two, very large, security guards at the bottom.

"This is a private enterprise building! What the hell are you doing landing atop our offices!?" the Lab barked out angrily.

Fox merely pulled out the StarFox emblem, flashing it to the Lab and the guards.

"This is a matter of Cornerian safety! I trust you'll keep my Arwing in prime condition while I'm away?" Fox played. The expression of anger upon the Lab's face instantly melted into one of humility.

"Why, of course Mr. McCloud." the Lab bowed.

"Hey, while you're at it, you mind cleaning it up? I got into a little scuffle on the way here. I could also use some fuel cells as well. You know how high their prices are nowadays."

"Of course." The Lab said, clapping his hands together, a mock grin on his face. "You two! Get to work on Mr. McCloud's ship right away!" the Lab commanded.

The two guards only grunted as they retreated back into the building. Fox then proceeded with running down to the lower floor of the building. He jogged past many rooms, each containing an animal at work, either on the phone or a computer or some other type of apparatus, unaware that he was even in the building. He took the stairs down to the bottom floor, not wanting to be slowed down by the elevator. He burst out the door, into the streets. He looked at the radar upon his communicator. Montoya shipping was four blocks away. Fox sprinted down the sidewalk, weaving through the many animals that wandered the street during the day. He looked down at his communicator again. 1:03 sat upon the screen in big, red numbers.

_What's taking the rest of them so long!? I hope leaving them alone was ok…_

(Cornerian Sea)

Falco boosted after a ship, lining up his targeting reticule with the back of the enemy. He waited until the orange glow of the enemy G-Diffusor was lined up perfectly, then fired three shots. Each one of them connected, and the ship crashed down into the ocean.

"Haha. These guys are hardly worth the effort." Falco smiled to himself.

"AAAH!!! H-HELP!!!" a voice called on the communicator. Falco looked out his cockpit. Slippy had the remaining three enemies chasing after him. He boosted away, only to have the enemies boost right after him. "GET THEM OFF!!!!"

"Damn it, Slippy! Can't you handle anything on your own!?" Falco yelled out, aggravated.

"C'mon, Falco. We don't have time for this. Let's just finish off these guys and get back to Fox!" Katt said over the communicator.

Katt, Falco, and Krystal then proceeded to chase after the enemies. It took only a couple of seconds to take them out, the three ships all grouped together. When the last ship crashed into the ocean, Falco slowed his Arwing down.

"We go after Fox, now?" he asked aloud.

"Yep." Katt smiled back to him.

The group then started boosting towards the city.

(Cornerian Streets)

Fox continued running down the streets, dodging the multitudes of people as they went about the city.

_One block left. Only one left. C'mon! Why are there so many people out today!?_

After a minute, he stood outside the Montoya Shipping Company. He dashed inside. Large bulldogs could be seen walking the hallways inside the building, carrying large packages with ease. Fox avoided two of them as they proceeded to the loading dock. He went right up to the receptionist, a female porcupine. He ran up to her desk, nearly out of breath. He took a couple of deep breaths to steady himself before he started.

"I need to talk with the owner here! It's very serious!" Fox pleaded with the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, sir, Mr. Montoya isn't accepting anyone at the moment. I could take a mes-"

Fox didn't have time. He took out the StarFox Emblem again, basically shoving it into the porcupine's face.

"Very serious." Fox repeated.

"Up the stairs, last door on the left." the porcupine stammered out.

"Thank you." Fox panted, running up the staircase.

(Above Corneria City)

The group looked down at the city streets, switching between looking at the building tops, to checking their radars.

"Anything?" Krystal asked, looking at the radar for any sign of Fox.

"THERE, THERE HE IS!!! FOUND HIM, FOUND HIM!!!" Slippy said enthusiastically. In a manner of moments, all of the radars picked up the signal from Fox's Arwing. They all boosted down towards the building that it sat upon.

Falco looked out the cockpit as he landed. Two large animals were standing beside Fox's Arwing. He jumped out as the Arwing finished its landing sequence, rushing over to the large animals.

"What do you think you're doing!?!?" Falco called out, suspicious of the two large animals. The two animals merely glanced at each other. Then, the one closer to Falco picked him up, his large hands clamping on Falco's arms, preventing him from doing anything other than wriggle around in the air.

"HEY! LET GO OF ME!!!" Falco commanded. The animal started walking towards the door leading inside the building.

"HEY, what're you doing with him!?!?" Katt demanded, chasing after the large brute. The second animal picked her up in the same manner as the first one, following him towards the door. Krystal and Slippy just walked after them, not wanting to be captured as well.

When the animals neared the door, it opened. A Labrador in a suit walked out to greet them.

"Why is it that animals have a need to land on my building!?" the Lab asked aloud.

"WHAT'S THIS ARWING DOING HERE!?!?" Falco spat out, still struggling with his captor.

"What're you doing landing on my building!?" the Lab asked back.

"We're following our leader, sir. We just saw his Arwing landed here, so we landed ourselves." Krystal explained. "We didn't know we weren't allowed to land here."

"Well, you aren't! This is my business! I'm going to kindly ask you to leave!" the Lab said.

"Sorry bud, can't do that!" Falco said. He swung his legs back and forth. When he was as close to horizontal as his range of motion would allow, he drove his legs downward, right into the large animal's chest. The animal grunted as he was thrust back. Falco landed on his feet, making a break for the door.

"STOP THEM!!!" the Lab roared.

"Why are you trying to stop Team StarFox, you idiot!?" Falco called back.

"Wait, you're also part of StarFox?" the Lab asked.

"Yes, didn't you hear Krystal before!? We're following our leader here!!!" Falco said angrily, heading away from the door to confront the Lab. He took out his StarFox Emblem and shoved it into the Lab's face. "SEE!?"

"Oh, well. Yes, then. Mr. McCloud landed here as well, as you can see. He rushed past us, totally disregarding the fact that this is MY Private Enterprise." the Lab explained.

"So what's Stumpy and Lumpy doing to his Arwing then!?" Falco continued.

"He told us to clean it for him! He's quite aggravating. I mean, the nerve-"

"I want my Arwing to glitter so brightly, it blinds other pilots. Thanks, Grumpy." Falco leaned in closely, patting the Lab on the head. He then walked over to the rest of team.

"Hey, Stumpy, I'd appreciate it if you'd put the lady down, now." Falco told the guard sternly. The large animal first looked to the Lab. The Lab nodded. The guard then put Katt down.

"Thanks, Falco." Katt said, brushing herself off.

"Yeah, yeah. Slippy, how far away is this Montoya Company?" Falco continued.

"Four blocks down the street." Slippy quickly checked.

"Let's go!" Falco said, rushing to the open door. The rest of the team followed. They rushed past the Lab, Falco smiling and waving, Katt winking at him, as they went by. They closed the door behind them and proceeded through the building.

"I hate Team Starfox…" the Lab grunted, picking up a washcloth, heading towards Falco's Arwing.

(Montoya Shipping, President's Office)

Fox nearly burst into the President's office. Inside, sat three animals. A husky and an iguana sat in front of a large desk, with a large Greyhound sitting in front of them, behind the desk. Fox connected the dots, running up to the Greyhound behind the desk. He took his emblem out before he could say anything.

"Team StarFox. This is very important. I need the shipping records for a ship that came through." Fox said immediately. The Greyhound took a moment for all of this information to register, then pushed away from his desk.

"What ship is it that you have in mind?" the Greyhound asked with a thick Spanish accent.

"A cargo ship from Jatria that came in today, about an hour or two ago." Fox panted.

"Ah, yes. I remember that one." The Greyhound said, looking through the bottom drawer of his desk. "The driver acted quite strange."

"Strange? Strange how?" Fox asked.

"Well, he just seemed…distant. Ah, here we are!" the Greyhound said, pulling a file out of his desk. "That has all the information you'll need. It has everything from the license plate to how many fuel cells it had when it got here, and everything in between."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Montoya." Fox said, backing out of the room.

"Of course, Mr. McCloud." Montoya said as Fox closed the door.

Fox looked down at the enveloped files in his arm. On the front of the envelope was the Company logo, a Rapier with a shield in front of it. A banner around the weapons had the Company's logo: "Hello, this is Montoya Shipping. We kill the competition. Prepare for service."

Fox disregarded this, taking the files out of the envelope. He took out a photo of the driver, a Doberman, Patrick Henson. A Jatrian local, never left Jatria until today. Fox continued flipping through the files until he found the page of cargo items. He read the list to himself.

_A lamp, a desk, two drawers, a couch, three armchairs. What? It sounds like he's moving!_

Fox continued flipping through the rest of the pages, skipping over everything until he found the destination list. He looked down the list, it basically created a dotted line cutting through the city.

_Looks like they're going to take control of the city from the inside out._

"Bye, Mr. McCloud." the receptionist called out to Fox as he left.

"Yes, thank you." Fox called back.

He rushed out onto the sidewalk, following the list of addresses.

(Cornerian Streets)

"How much farther away is this building, Slips?" Falco asked, nearly shoving people out of the way now, giving up on weaving through them.

"It's that brown building right there." Slippy said, pointing to a building past three others.

"Come on, let's go!" Falco said, rushing the rest of the way. The rest of the team rushed after him.

Falco burst into the building, going up to the receptionist.

"Did a fox come rushing in here before?" Falco asked.

"You mean Mr. McCloud from Team StarFox?" the receptionist asked in return.

"Yes! Him! So he did come by here!?" Falco asked again as the rest of the team entered the building.

"Yes, he did come in here. He seemed really jumpy, like you are. He went up to Mr. Montoya's office, then left about a twelve minutes ago." the receptionist explained.

"Do you know where he went?" Katt asked in Falco's place.

"No, he walked out looking at one of our envelopes, I assume that he was looking at addresses."

"Would anyone else in here know where he would've gone?" Krystal asked now.

"You mean that fox?" an iguana coming down the stairs asked. "He said something about a cargo ship."

"Yeah, we know that." Falco said impatiently.

"Well, we keep a spare file of every record in here. Mr. Montoya should be able to help you guys out." a husky walking behind the iguana said.

"Thank you." Katt said. "Let's go up, then."

"Wait, you can't go up the-" the receptionist started.

Falco pulled out his emblem.

"We're the rest of the team, thank you for your time." Falco said, going up the stairs. The rest of the team followed him.

(Montoya's Office)

Falco walked into the President's office. He didn't bother putting the StarFox Emblem away, so he just pinned it to his jacket. That way, everyone would know he's in the team.

"Mr. Montoya. We have need of some information of yours." Katt said promptly.

"Ah, yes. I knew something like this was coming." the Greyhound said. He put another envelope on top of his desk, and pushed it over to Falco.

"You knew we were coming?" Falco asked, slightly suspicious.

"Of course. Where would Mr. McCloud be without his team? I found it slightly odd that he'd come alone, so I figured that you, his team, would be coming here shortly after. Good Luck, Team StarFox." Montoya said with a grin.

"Thank you, sir." Krystal said as they started leaving the room.

"No problem."

The team opened the files, and went down the stairs.

"Bye guys." the receptionist said with a smirk.

"Bye!" Slippy said as Falco dragged him out by his collar.

"So let's see, here's the addresses." Falco said as they left the building. He pulled out a sheet of paper indicating all the places the cargo ship would stop. "Where would Fox go first?"

"Probably to the closest stop. This one. 164 Consin Street. Shall we?" Katt asked, letting Falco go in front her.

"Yeah, let's get this over with." Falco said, determination in his eyes.

The receptionist watched the team walk down the street, out of sight. She continued typing upon her computer, taking a deep sigh as she did. Down the hall, from the receptionists desk, sat the loading dock. The receptionist failed to notice that a pair of cloaked figures were hiding out inside the loading dock. They stirred when they saw Team StarFox walk by the open doors of the loading dock. When the team turned the corner, the two figures dashed out onto the sidewalk. They sidled alongside the building's wall, keeping to the shadows. Slowly, they crept forward. They followed the team, determined to carry out their mission. They kept back, ducking from shadow to shadow, waiting for their chance to strike…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: All right! I'm back in the saddle! Feels good to be writing this again. So, looks like we got a game of connect the multiple, scattered dots. I kind of enjoyed that part with the Labrador. Also, anyone notice the book/movie reference I made? Anybody that does gets a cookie! Now for reviews.

Reviews:

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-12-29 . chapter 10_

_Well, I survived. Nice dogfight, by the way. superfluous detail as always... not that it's a bad thing. That sounds like something Falco would say. Anyway, great chapter._

~PSC~

in an attempt to be like panther,PSC will speak in 3'rd person all day

Sweet. I didn't put another guy in a mental institution! Dodged another lawsuit there. Phew. You're really on the ball here with this story, huh? One day after I get back and you already have a review up! Now that's dedication. And yeah, Falco is probably the only guy I could imagine saying that. Everyone else seems much more proper. Well, here's to another chapter!

-_Mr. Starfox Fan 2008-12-29 . chapter 10 _

_I'm noticing a lack of Starwolf and Bill Grey. Not that this review is relevant to anything... I'm just noticing a lack of wolf. By the way, huge fan of your story..._

Wolf could be a member of the terrorist organization... No. I'll stop now before I start to shove my ideas down your throat.

Don't worry. I plan on having StarWolf and Bill come up in later chapters. I'm gonna get the whole smorgasbord in here, excluding Fay and Mira and all of them. As I said in an earlier review, I started with StarFox 64. I didn't even know they existed before. But yeah, I plan on getting everyone in there. Thanks for being a noted fan. Don't worry, I got an idea for Wolf, sort of. It'll come up eventually. And I don't mind having ideas shoved down my throat, so far, I don't have enough people doing it. I only had one other idea from a fan so far. So yeah, go ahead and shove, it tells me that people are anxiously awaiting the next chapter!

-_Days of the phoenix__ 2008-12-29 . chapter 10_

_Well, this was a really nice chapter. Sorry for the lack of reviews, I'm busy with stuff.  
Sorry about the computer, though._

Thanks for the compliment. Don't worry about the reviews, as long as I get at least one per chapter, I'm fine. And seeing as I'm building a loyal fanbase, that shouldn't be too hard. And thank you for worrying about my computer, don't worry, it's doing fine now as far as I know. If it blows up or something, I'll be sure to put that up on my profile when I get access to another computer. Here's to another chapter!


	12. Stand Alone

Chapter 12: Stand Alone

(Cornerian Streets)

Fox dashed down the crowded streets, searching for the first address on the list.

_167…166…165…finally! 164 Consin Street!_

Fox impatiently rapped his fist against the door of the building. Within seconds, a woman in a green dress appeared at the door. She was a kangaroo. She stared at Fox with a confused look sitting upon her face.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am, but have you received a package anytime today?" Fox asked.

"Yes, I received a clock, why?"

"Ma'am, it's a matter of grave importance, but I'm going to need to take the clock." Fox said sternly.

"Why should I give you my clock? I paid for it and everything!" the kangaroo said defensively.

Fox, getting aggravated, showed the kangaroo the StarFox Emblem.

"I'm Fox McCloud of Team StarFox. Now, if you get me that clock, I'll show you why it's so important!"

The kangaroo merely glanced at the emblem, then immediately rushed back inside the house. After a moment, she returned lugging a beautifully crafted clock.

"Thank you." Fox said as she handed it to him.

He looked around the outside of the clock, looking for the chip like the one in Private Ian's lamp. He didn't find anything, so he proceeded with cracking it open.

As Fox began cracking the clock open, the kangaroo gasped.

"What are you doing!?" she demanded as Fox continued to force his way to the interior of the clock.

"I'll…show you…in a…minute!" Fox said, pulling the clock entirely apart. "I don't have time for subtleties!"

Fox looked around inside the clock. On the back of the clock face, Fox found the chip. He took it off, then showed it to the kangaroo.

"This is why I did what I did." Fox said, raising the chip up to the kangaroo line of sight. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to find about seventeen more of these."

"Wait, what can that little thing do?" the kangaroo called after him.

"Destroy worlds." Fox yelled back. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're compensated for the clock."

(Outside the Montoya Shipping Company)

Falco and the others dashed down the street, hoping to meet up with Fox.

"Hey, Slips, how far away is the first stop?" Katt asked between breaths.

"Two blocks from here." Slippy said, checking his wrist radar.

"Damn it! Why'd we leave our Arwings with that jackass!?" Falco asked angrily.

As he asked that, a shadow leapt from behind them. Falco saw the shadow on the ground, then turned around to catch a cloaked figure's raised arm. The figure was holding a knife in his hand, and he was aiming for Falco's chest. Falco managed to catch a glimpse at an insignia upon the knife, a hand with an eye in the center. He glanced down at the figures cloak, the same insignia on the knife rested upon the right part of the chest.

"It's more of them!!!" Falco gasped out, struggling with the figure still.

As the team watched Falco wrestle with his attacker, another cloaked figure jumped from fire-escape to fire-escape. As it neared the group, it made a shrieking lunge, drawing a similar knife as the first figure. Katt saw the figure dive, and countered with a reverse-kick. Her foot slammed into the solar plexus of the figure, causing it to go limp. When it's feet touched the ground, it quickly recoiled back into a fighting stance. It took the knife in its hand as it pulled its hood down, revealing the face of a bat. She hissed at the group, readying the knife for an attack. Falco, however, felt a slight decrease in the pressure the first cloaked figure had pressed against him. He took the opportunity to shift his stance, forcing his back into the creature's gut, tearing his knife arm downward. The creature flipped over Falco's shoulder, inevitably crashing into the bat. Stunned, the creatures attempted to regain their composure. Falco dashed over to the two cloaked figures, pulling the bat onto her feet. As she regained her senses, Falco started swinging at her. She quickly dodged his left hook, which missed her abdomen by centimeters.

"Krystal, Katt, go after Fox!!! Slippy and I'll keep these guys busy!!!" Falco yelled. "Fox is going to need help to gather all of these devices before they set them off!" Falco added, ducking a knife swing aimed at his head as he did so.

"Right!" Katt said, dragging Krystal behind her by the wrist. Krystal watched Falco battle it out with his opponent for a moment longer. Her attention then turned to the second figure, rising up from the ground, then to Slippy, who had just found a device settled in his backpack. She then turned around, pushing her teammates from her thoughts.

_They'll be fine. Right now, we have to stop those devices from activating!_

(756 Shopping District)

Fox rushed to the next address on the list. The list took him down to the shopping district, specifically, to an antique shop.

"Sir, did you happen to receive a package today?" Fox asked again. The owner of the antique shop was a panda.

"Yes, I did. Why?" the panda asked.

"May I inspect it? We have a reason to believe that something's wrong with it." Fox explained.

"One moment, please." the panda said, going back to the interior of the shop.

_This is taking way too long…I'm gonna need a faster way to do this…_

"Here we are, everything I received today." the panda said, wheeling out a cart of antiques.

"Wait! You received all of these today!?" Fox asked, looking down at the cart. There had to be more than twenty different pieces staring back at him.

"Yes, today was delivery day." the panda explained.

"Well, did you receive any of these from a Jatrian shipping company!?

"I…think so. I can't quite remember." the panda said, looking quizzically down at the pile of antiques. "Ah, it was this one. The Jatrian lamp. I remember now, it has specific details in the carvings, carved only by one artist on all of Jatria."

"Great, can I see it then?" Fox asked.

"Upfront, I'll need it upfront." the panda said, holding his hand out.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't just let you take my lamp! You need to pay for it first. Otherwise, you could damage it or run off with it." the panda listed.

Fox took out the emblem again, showing it to the panda.

"This is a matter of Cornerian security, so I need that lamp!" Fox commanded.

"You'll get it when you pay for it." The panda said indignantly.

"I don't have time for this crap!" Fox said, grabbing the lamp. He jumped to the sidewalk, dashing down the street.

"Hey! Stop! Thief!" the panda called after him.

_Why must everyone be so difficult!?_

(Outside Montoya Shipping)

Falco dodged another swing from the bat's knife, retreating backwards down the sidewalk. He continued to look for a way to take down his opponents, but he couldn't see any weaknesses.

_Every time I knock them down, they just get right back up! There's gotta be a way to take them out!_

"Slippy! These guys are being controlled like the citizens on Jatria, right?" Falco asked, sidestepping another swing, countering with a sweep kick. The bat fell to the ground, collapsing like a puppet without strings. After a second, she was standing again, ready to continue her assault.

Slippy, in the meantime, was busy dodging the bat's companion. Slippy had his scanner out, holding it up to his opponent first, then to the bat. After a second, the scanner produced a result.

"Yep, they have the same brainwaves as before." Slippy confirmed. "It seems stronger than before, though."

"Can you do anything about it!?" Falco called out, catching the bat's arm mid-swing. He gripped her wrist with his right hand, then pulled, slamming the bat's face into his left elbow. She staggered back, then resumed her battle stance.

"Yeah, one sec." Slippy said, fiddling with another device, reminiscent of a radio. While he was distracted, the bat's companion charged at him. Slippy waddled off to the left, the attack barely missing him. "Here we go!"

Slippy pressed a button on the device, sending out a strange sound. The bat and her companion dropped to the ground, clutching their ears. After a moment, they fell completely unconscious.

"What was that?" Falco asked as he reclined against a nearby wall.

"It's a jamming device. I set it to the frequency of their brainwave patterns and set it on reverse. They should be fine when they wake up." Slippy explained.

"Ok, let's go after the others now." Falco said.

"Ok…wait! I got something on my radar! It's producing a bunch of the mind control signals!" Slippy said pointing forward while staring at his communicator. "There!!"

Falco followed Slippy's finger to the cargo van. It was driving down the street, heading towards them.

"What's it doing back on this side of town!?" Falco asked, perplexed by their luck. He started towards the street the van was on, planning to intercept it.

"Isn't it on the list?" Slippy asked.

Falco checked the list. He saw the original line cutting through all of Corneria, then noticed four dots framing the entire city.

"Here we go. We overlooked these ones." Falco said as he stepped onto the sidewalk of the van's street.

Falco waited until the van was about a couple feet away, then started sprinting alongside it. Slippy started running behind him as well, although he was unable to keep up with his short legs. Falco kept up his speed, then grabbed the door handle, opening it in the process.

"Get out, jackass!" Falco demanded, jumping into the van. As he settled on the passenger seat, the driver punched him in the face. When Falco recovered from the blow, he turned the steering wheel to the far left, causing the van to veer left as well. The driver struggled to correct the van. While he did so, Falco smashed his forearm into his neck, pinning the driver against the seat. Falco then used his free arm to open the driver's door.

Slippy, unable to keep up with the van, looked for an easier way to catch up. He found a shortcut between two buildings. He dashed through it, preparing to intercept the van when it turned the next corner.

Falco, his arm still pressed against the driver's neck, unbuckled his seat belt next. As he did so, the driver elbowed him in his exposed ribcage. Falco's arm dropped away from the driver's neck as he gasped in pain. The driver then attempted to shove Falco out of the open passenger door. Falco fell out, clutching the seat belt before he fell out entirely. As he dangled out the door, the driver took a sharp turn to the right, hoping it would shake Falco off. Falco pulled himself up before he was flung off.

"That's it, I'm PISSED!!!!" Falco said. He put his left leg up and kicked the driver in the hip, shoving him out the open door. Falco slid into his seat and started driving the van. He saw Slippy emerge from between two buildings and stopped the van. "Get in!"

Slippy did as he was told, not wanting to mess with Falco after he saw what he did to the driver.

"Ok, now to find the others!" Falco said. "Slippy, can you find them?"

"Already looking." Slippy said, fiddling with his communicator.

(164 Consin Street)

Katt and Krystal reached the first stop on the list. They knocked on the door, impatiently waiting for the resident to respond. A couple of seconds later, a kangaroo opened the door.

"Now what?" the kangaroo sighed.

"Did a fox come here before?" Krystal asked.

"Yes, and he broke my clock." the kangaroo explained.

"Do you know where he went!?" Katt asked, figuring that Fox already got the first chip.

"He went down the street, that way." the kangaroo said, pointing down the street.

"Thank you." Krystal said as the two went back to the sidewalk. The kangaroo merely closed the door.

After a couple of moments of jogging, Krystal and Katt could hear yelling coming from in front of them.

"You don't think the device activated already, do you!?" Krystal asked Katt. Katt shook her head.

"They couldn't of. Could they?" Katt asked aloud.

"When they neared the source of the yelling, they saw a panda yelling down the street, waving his fist at a figure off in the distance.

"Sir, why are you yelling?" Katt asked quickly.

"That conniving fox stole my merchandise!" the panda growled angrily, still staring down the street.

"Thank you." Katt said, grabbing Krystal who was still watching the panda.

"Thank you for what?" the panda wondered.

"C'mon Krystal! It's Fox!" Katt said, as they sprinted down the street.

(City Outskirts)

Patrick Henson struggled into an upright position. He clutched his arm, feeling a stinging pain. In a robotic motion, he gripped it, then twisted it, which made a hollow cracking noise. He didn't even flinch as he did so. He rotated his arm, popping it back into its socket. Blood dripped down from his lip, but he disregarded it entirely. He pulled out a device from his pocket, a cylindrical tube with a red button on top. He pressed it, letting himself fall back to the ground, his assignment complete.

(Shopping District)

Fox continued rushing down the street. He could hear the panda barking still, but it seemed to get softer and softer as he continued to run. Then, it stopped entirely. He turned around, seeing two small figures standing in front of the source of the noise. He disregarded it, probably some citizens asking why the panda's yelling.

_Gotta get the rest of the devices!_

As he continued to jog, a face popped up onto his communicator.

"Fox? Fox? You there? Fox?" the voice called over and over again.

"Slippy! Where are you guys!? Are you all ok!?" Fox asked, relieved to hear from someone familiar.

"Hey, Fox! Did Katt and Krystal reach you yet!?" another voice called out from the communicator.

"No, why? Aren't they with you?" Fox asked.

"No. We split up after we were ambushed. They went after you." Falco explained. "Where are you anyway?"

"I'm in the shopping district. At the intersection of Rucon and Jisenth. I just stole this panda's lamp." Fox said, looking at the lamp still cradled in his arms.

"Nice, we stole the cargo van." Falco grinned.

"WHAT!? You got the van!?" Fox exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. Hey, I can see you now. I'll pull up."

As Fox looked around for the van, he could hear voices other than the panda calling towards him. He turned to see two figures running towards him, one wearing dark blue, the other wearing orange. As they got closer, he recognized the outline of the one wearing dark blue.

"Krystal!" Fox called out.

"Fox!" he heard the blue figure call out. He waved to the figures, glad to see everyone had made it out of the dogfight safely. As he waved, a small red light began blinking inside the lamp.

(Rucon Street)

Falco drove the van according to Slippy's instructions, turning on to Rucon Street.

"You sure you got that thing working right?" Falco asked, looking around for any sign of his comrades.

"Yeah, they're going to be on our right. Look, I'll call Fox right now." Slippy said, activating his communicator. "Fox? Fox? You there? Fox?"

"Slippy! Where are you guys!? Are you all ok!?" another voice returned on the communicator.

Falco grabbed Slippy's arm and pulled it over to him.

"Hey, Fox! Did Katt and Krystal reach you yet!?" Falco asked, still looking around for any sign of them.

"No, why? Aren't they with you?" Fox asked.

"No. We split up after we were ambushed. They went after you." Falco explained. He looked down at the radar on Slippy's communicator, next to transmission screen. He noticed a blinking yellow arrow getting closer to their position. "Where are you anyway?"

"I'm in the shopping district. At the intersection of Rucon and Jisenth. I just stole this panda's lamp." Fox said.

"Nice, we stole the cargo van." Falco said triumphantly.

"WHAT!? You got the van!?" Fox asked, surprise in his voice.

"Oh yeah." Falco grinned, still pleased with his victory. He then saw the figure of Fox as he passed a building. "Hey, I can see you now. I'll pull up."

"Um, Falco?" Slippy said as Falco disconnected the link.

"What, Slippy?" Falco said, turning to his teammate. He noticed Slippy looking to the back of the van, pointing his free arm to the back. His arm was shivering. Falco looked back. Several objects in the back of the van had several red spots blinking on them. Falco just stared.

"Ugh. DAMN IT!"

(Shopping District)

Katt and Krystal rushed towards the figure ahead of them. Luckily for the two girls, the figure had stopped moving. After a moment, Krystal heard the figure call out.

"Krystal!" the figure called, waving one arm in the air.

"Fox!" Krystal called back. She started running faster, glad to see Fox again. As she ran towards him, she noticed he had an object in his arms.

_That must be the thing he took from the panda._

As she ran up a staircase to where Fox was, she noticed a glint coming from the lamp. As she neared, horror ran through her. The glint became a blinking red light, coming from inside the lamp.

Katt then started clutching her head, a pulse now resonating in the back of her mind.

Krystal saw Katt stop but grabbed her by the wrist to keep her going.

"Are you ok?" Krystal asked as she continued to drag her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little light-headed from all this running." Katt laughed, unconvincingly.

Katt's condition worried Krystal. And to further her distress, she noticed the cargo van pull up behind Fox.

"FOX!!!" Krystal called out. "Look behind you!!"

Fox turned around, looking at the van. As Krystal and Katt ran up to Fox, a figure emerged from the van. It ran up to Fox and took the lamp from his grasp. It then retreated back inside the van and drove away. As the van drove away, the two girls caught up to Fox.

"Fox, what just happened?" Krystal asked, relieved that the lamp was nowhere near Fox now, but concerned about the figure in the van that just took it.

"I don't know. But I intend to find out!" Fox said, pulling his communicator up. He dialed upon it as he dashed down the street. "C'mon, we have to get to Falco!" Fox called back to the two.

"Falco? Where is he?" Katt asked.

"He's in the van!" Fox yelled.

(Rucon Street)

Falco pulled up behind Fox, who was looking in the opposite direction. He jumped out of the van, and ran up to him.

"Sorry, Fox!" Falco said, pulling the lamp from his grasp. He went back inside the van and returned to the driver seat. He stamped his foot on the acceleration, making the van charge forward.

"Falco? What're you doing!?" Slippy asked, turning around in his seat to watch Fox get farther and farther away.

"Slippy, can you jam these things like you did before!?" Falco asked anxiously.

"Uh, I think so?" Slippy said, considering his options.

"Not just these ones! All of them!? In the entire city!?" Falco demanded. A call came up upon his communicator, but he disregarded it. He needed to focus.

"I should be able to…I just need enough energy to get it going."

"HOW MUCH!?" Falco yelled at him.

"The van's battery should be enough! Plug this into the cigarette lighter!" Slippy said, pulling a cord out of his jammer device. Falco took one hand off the steering wheel and took the cord. He plugged it into the lighter as instructed.

"How long's this gonna take!?" Falco asked.

"I don't know!" Slippy said, frantically inputting controls.

"Well, we're getting these devices out of here!" Falco said, stepping down on the acceleration all the way.

He drove out into traffic, ignoring all the lights. He neared the city outskirts after three minutes.

"C'mon Slippy! How much longer!?" Falco roared.

Slippy just frantically input commands into the jammer.

"And…this…should…do it!!!" Slippy said finally, activating the jammer. Another sound rang out from the jammer, coming at a more frequent rate than the first time it activated.

"Is it working!?" Falco asked Slippy. Falco turned to Slippy, who was staring at the back of the van. Falco noticed a constant red glow reflect in his eyes. He turned to the back himself, just as the devices exploded.

(Rucon Street)

Fox, Krystal, and Katt all dashed down the sidewalk, following the figure of the van. It was a good twenty feet in front of them.

"How the hell did Falco get the van!?" Katt asked aloud.

"I don't know, but he took the device that was in that lamp!" Fox answered.

"Is Slippy with him?" Krystal asked.

"I think so. He was when I talked to him."

"You think the devices got to him?" Katt asked, worry in her voice now.

"I don't think they did. He sounded like himself when he took the lamp." Fox said.

He looked forward, the van was speeding down a straightaway. Fox looked around for something he could use, they were losing ground fast. He noticed a nearby bike, much like the one Falco used when they chased after Slippy. He ran up to it, kicking its wire panel open in one swift motion. He bent down, hotwiring the bike immediately. He jumped on, followed by Krystal and Katt.

"Hold on!" Fox said as he sped down the straightaway the van followed.

"How are we going to find them now?" Katt asked from the back of the bike, holding on to Krystal.

"Because of that." Fox said, indicating the car pileups ahead of them. Fox weaved through the pileup, continuing forward. "He's heading for the city outskirts!" Fox concluded.

Fox pushed the bike to its maximum speed. Krystal and Katt struggled to hold on. After a minute, the van returned to view.

"There he is!" Fox exclaimed. The girls squinted as the wind blew in their faces, catching only a small glimpse of the van. Fox leaned forward on the bike, willing it to go faster. As he did so, he noticed a sound echoing through the rows of buildings.

"Fox. What's that sound?" Krystal asked from behind him, hearing the noise as well.

"That's a jamming signal!" Katt answered for Fox. "That's gotta be Slippy doing it!" Katt said happily.

"So the devices are deactivated the-" Fox started asking. He pulled the bike to a stop as a blast of air rushed by them. A ball of fire sat in front of them where the van was. The three upon the bike could only gape in awe at what they had just seen.

"Falco…Slippy?" Fox said in a murmur. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

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Author's Notes: Damn! That took forever. If this chapter sounds rushed, I apologize. I just really want to move on. I'm getting really antsy for this part that's coming up. Yes, I actually have a plan for what I'm writing for now, sort of. I'll probably BS in some more stuff somewhere in there. So yeah, battle royale, plus some uncooperative city folk. Just like N.Y.C! So yeah, ASPLOSION! The plot thickens…and did I mention asplosion? So yeah. We'll see what happens next chapter. Now for reviews!

Reviews:

You guys are getting better at reviewing, getting them in within one day! I'm impressed.

-_theXbeat08__ 2008-12-29 . chapter 10_

_Great chapter, as usual. Few if any errors...oh, maybe you were missing a quotation mark or something?_

Only Fox would act that jumpy. Poor guy's been through alot! But I think the dogfight at the end was good, you said you didn't even mean to put that in? You should do that more often.

Keep it up! This just keeps getting better!

Good luck!  
theXbeat08

-_theXbeat08__ 2008-12-29 . chapter 11_

_I'm not weird by doing two reviews, I swear! I just wanna do both._

Another excellent chapter! The part with the Lab guy was really funny. Oh, and Stumpy and all them. You make Starfox sound like policemen, flipping their badges at everybody.

Nice hanger, too. Now I REALLY wanna know what happens next!

Good luck!  
theXbeat08

Thank you for the compliments again! Glad to see you enjoy this story. Go ahead and do two reviews, you wouldn't be the only one. And I suppose a missing quotation mark is the only problem that is possible. I proofread each chapter before posting it, so I get rid of most of the mistakes during that process. And yeah, Fox goes through a lot of stuff, and there's gonna be more stuff for him to be pessimistic about in future chapters as well! Hint, hint. And this chapter had a lot more stuff improvised in as well. Those two shady figures from last chapter were improvised, and most of the cargo van in this chapter was also improvised. Glad you enjoyed the Lab part as well. And yeah, people respect the blaster, but they respect the StarFox Emblem even more. Hooray for more cliffhangers!!! Oh, and btw, I read that story where you have a crazy talkshow, and I got an idea from it. You might recognize it in one of the oncoming chapters, hope you don't mind. And by oncoming, I mean, like, 32 chapters from now. Totally serious about that. Here's to another chapter!

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-12-30 . chapter 11_

_Well, I didn't get the movie reference, but I enjoyed the chapter. More innocent locals falling victim to the mind control, topped off with a cliff hanger. I wonder what those stalkers are doing? Well, I'll have to wait to find out. The secret to the quick reviews is: No life. I'm constantly on the internet. Well, cheers!_

~PSC~ (Who gave up on the 3'rd person thing)

The movie/book reference was from the Princess Bride! "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die." Sorry, I just finished reading it and everybody loves that line. Yep, mind control abounds. That's the "Mind's" favorite way to terrorize people. More on that later. And I appreciate the quick reviews. Hooray for no lives! If you've given up on the 3rd person thing, then you should totally try **2nd PERSON**!!!! Here's to another chapter!


	13. Up in Flames

Chapter 13: Up in Flames

(Cornerian Academy)

The distraught avian ran down the hall, forcing himself to keep from crying. He stopped to catch his breath, unable to control his sniveling. Katt caught up with him as he panted for breath.

"Hey, what was all of that back there?" Katt asked, her hands on her knees, out of breath as well.

"Nothing! Just leave me alone…" Falco said, turning away from her, his head down.

"C'mon, tell me." Katt said, putting her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off.

"No, just go away." Falco said, starting down the hallway again. Katt just watched him walk.

"It was your father, wasn't it?" Katt called after him. "What happened, Falco?"

Falco stopped, picking his head up. Streams of tears ran down his face, yet he spoke in a solid tone.

"He was an engineer, on the S.S. Artavon." Falco started. "He left for duty two days before my birthday. He said he'd be back soon, he said he'd bring back a present. That was the last thing I heard from him. The Artavon was ambushed at Sector Z by Andross' forces."

"Falco, I'm so sorry. But, I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted you to act this way." Katt said.

"Shut up! It's not that…" Falco said, his head dropping down again. "My mother died when I was four, her immune system attacked her own body. She caught a disease, and, unable to fight it off, she died. My father remarried. My step-mom didn't have a job, and when the army told us about my father, she killed herself, leaving me and my step-brother alone. My family's gone! But does anyone care!? NO! But him, that fox. His father died, and the whole world stopped! Everyone cares for him! Everybody tries to comfort him! But does anyone care for me!?" Falco asked, breaking down entirely. He fell to his knees, then punched the locker next to him.

"Falco…my father…died too. He was a soldier on Titania. He was stationed at one of the bases there. I don't even remember what he looks like, he left when I was two. We got a call one day…his base was attacked by one of Andross' bioweapons. The whole base was destroyed." Katt explained, tears forming in her eyes. Falco looked up.

"Katt. I'm sorry. C'mon, let's go back." Falco said, standing up. He held out his hand.

"Ok, let's go." Katt agreed, wiping her eyes. She took his hand, letting her head rest against his shoulder. The two slowly walked down the hall, back to 203.

(Cornerian Department of Medicinal Research)

Fox paced back and forth outside the emergency care room. Krystal sat on a chair, switching between watching Fox and looking down at the floor. Katt went into the bathroom, saying she needed to splash some water on her face.

Fox, Krystal, and Katt found Falco and Slippy in the wreckage of the van. They took the two to the emergency room two hours earlier. They were in intensive care ever since.

"Damn it! If I paid more attention on Jatria, all of this could've been avoided! Damn it!" Fox said, continuing his pacing, hitting his palm.

"Fox, it's not your fault. None of us could've seen this coming. There was nothing we could've done to prevent this." Krystal said, trying to console him.

"That's not true! We should've noticed something was wrong when Nordon sent out the truck!" Fox yelled, frustrated with himself.

"Fox, we had a job to do on Jatria. If we didn't stop Nordon, all of Jatria would be under his control!" Krystal reminded him.

"Ugh. You're right. I just wish we could've done something different." Fox said, slumping into a chair.

"Me too, Fox. But we've done all we can. Now we just have to wait. I'm sure they'll be fine." Krystal said, sidling up close to him.

"Thanks, Krystal." Fox said. He sat up in his chair as Katt walked into the room.

"Anything yet?" she asked, sitting down in a chair opposite the two vulpines.

"No, nothing." Krystal informed her. Katt just sighed.

The three spent the next ten minutes in complete silence. Peppy walked in to break the silence.

"Are they ok!? I stopped by General Pepper's office to inform him of the situation." Peppy said, jogging into the room.

"We don't know yet, Peppy." Fox said with a sigh.

"They're still in there." Krystal said afterwards.

"Oh, ok then." Peppy accepted, sitting next to Katt. "I'm sure they'll make it out! Slippy's incredibly lucky, despite his clumsiness, and Falco's just too stubborn to die." Peppy joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I sure hope so." Fox said, sighing again.

After several minutes, a doctor emerged from the emergency room.

"Well!?" Katt asked, standing up immediately.

"They'll be just fine. They had many serious burns, as well as some broken bones. I'd give them two days of complete rest and they'll be fine." the doctor explained with a smile. Everyone took a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." Peppy said, wiping his forehead.

"May we see them?" Krystal asked.

"Of course, they didn't take their medications yet, so they should still be up." the doctor said, letting the team in.

Falco and Slippy sat in two separate beds, both of them covered in bandages. They looked over to the doorway as everyone walked in.

"HEY GUYS!!!" Slippy yelled, wiggling in his bandages.

"You guys doing alright?" Fox asked.

"Do we look alright, idiot!? We're lying bandaged in the hospital, barely able to move two centimeters!!!" Falco exploded. He cringed in pain as he moved his arms.

"Calm down, you're gonna end up hurting yourself even more." Peppy said, trying to prevent further injury.

"Yeah, yeah." Falco said, propping himself up in his bed, trying to avoid any painful position. Katt went over to a chair next to Falco's bed.

"What do you think you were doing, driving that van away!?" Katt demanded.

"Well, I was _trying_ to lessen the effects of the mind-control chips! I figured the farther away the signal, the less effective they would be. Then, when I thought we were at a safe enough distance, I asked Slippy to jam the signal. I think the terrorists triggered an explosion to stop us, though, knowing we had the van." Falco explained.

"Well, actually, I didn't know if the signal was strong enough, so I cranked up the power. I think the powered up jamming signal caused the devices in the van to overload, causing the explosion." Slippy laughed.

"Wait, so _YOU_ caused the explosion!? GET OVER HERE YOU DAMN TOAD!!!!" Falco said, wriggling in his bed, stopping when the pain took effect. "Damn it!!! For sweet love, WOULD SOMEONE KICK HIS ASS!?!?!?"

"Ok, guys. Calm down." Fox said, laughing. "You guys are gonna have to rest. The doctor says you'll be fine in two days."

"That's good. I can't stand not being able to move." Falco said with a smirk.

"Well, I guess we'll leave you two to rest." Krystal said, the rest of the team walking out. As she said that, Fox's communicator sprung to life. It had General Pepper's face on it.

"Fox! Fox, come in!" the General commanded.

"What is it, General?" Fox asked.

"I need you to mobilize, now!" the General said hurriedly.

"What? But, Falco and Slippy are still in the hospital!" Fox pleaded.

"Well, move them to the Great Fox! I need you to move now! We just received a distress signal from the Solsen Defense Outpost!"

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Author's Notes: Hot diggety daffodil! Happy New Year! First chapter of 2009! Happiness abounds! Yay, the bird and toad are ok. More backstory is revealed! Ok, this was a relatively short chapter, totaling 1240 words. Hey, at least I broke 1000. And come on, at the rate I'm uploading chapters, you should really appreciate it! Ok, yeah, I stuffed the chapter with a lot of emergency room anticipation, but that had to come in somewhere! At least I got that comedy part in inside the emergency room. Oh, and before anyone asks, let's just assume Corneria has way more advanced medical tech than we do, able to mend broken bones and fix burns in a heartbeat. I don't want any reviews saying 'How can they leave the hospital in two days with 3rd degree burns and a shattered ribcage?' Ok? Good. And another cliffhanger, I know. That's what happens when you watch too much anime that ends like that. Prepare for **a lot** more. Now for the first review section of the new year!

Reviews:

You guys are getting quick. A day within the chapter's upload and already I have reviews.

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2008-12-30 . chapter 12_

_Well, that would explain it... I never saw the movie. Woohoo1 Another cliff hanger to leave us on the edge of our seats! I wonder if they will be okay? I believe in your last chapter, you mention something about Star Wolf? Guess i'll just have to wait and see._

You really ought to see the movie. It's quite funny. I also suggest reading the book, although you can do either one, the movie's incredibly accurate. Guess what? ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Time for some more action coming up! Oh, and by the way, bravo. Not even six hours before the chapter's uploaded and you already have a review up. You deserve a medal or something. Yeah, I'm planning on getting Star Wolf and Bill Grey in this story, somewhere. But that won't be until later chapters. I got a lot of stuff to pack in between now and then. Hope this new chapter will suffice in the meantime. Here's to another chapter!

-_theXbeat08__ 2008-12-31 . chapter 12_

_ANOTHER cliffhanger?!? Wow, you must really like these._

So now, Falco and Slippy are...dead? Wait, no, that's not right. Is it?

These Hands of Lylat guys are really starting to creep me Patrick one of the ones Falco fought?

Ha, you read those talkshow chapter things? I was just really bored and had writers block when I did those. Glad you liked it though! Keep up the story - it's getting really intense!

Good luck!  
theXbeat08

Hmmm. Another cliffhanger? I didn't really notice…just kidding. Yeah, these here cliffhangers are my one joy in life. Not really. They're just fun to do. Yeah, the Hands of Lylat dudes are creepy, and they'll get creepier, I think. This story is like 85% made up as I'm writing, so yeah, they'll probably get creepy as I add in creepy adjectives. And Patrick Henson was the driver of the van. He took a pretty hard fall after Falco kicked him out bleeding and dislocating his arm and whatnot. The only reason I mentioned his name was because I mentioned it in a small paragraph in Chapter 11 that everybody probably overlooked. Sorry for the confusion. His part of the chapter was another add-in I thought of mid-type. I needed the devices to activate so I could have the asplosion cliff-hanger. And yes, I read the talkshow. I found it funny. And I really have no idea why people have Fox and Wolf gay for each other. Clearly, Fox is heterosexual, ogling Krystal while she was trapped in Starfox Adventures. And obviously, Wolf has too much testosterone for any relationship. Hence the "Lone Wolf" thing he has going. I'm about halfway through that story, and I plan on finishing sometime soon, when I'm not writing another chapter. Here's to another chapter in the meantime!


	14. Love and Hate

Chapter 14: Love and Hate

(Cornerian Department of Medicinal Research)

"What? What's going on, General!?" Fox asked. Everyone in the room was staring at his communicator, waiting for the response.

"I'm not sure, but we received this transmission along with the distress signal." the General said, uploading a recorded message. On the message, a Cornerian soldier stood in front of the screen, lights from laser fire illuminating the background. The occasional grunt could be heard in the background. Blood was dripping down from the side of his head, getting into his right eye. He was panting as he spoke.

"Corneria! This is…the Solsen Defense Outpost. We're…under attack! We need you to se-" at that moment, a blast sounded in the background, causing the screen to shake. The soldier ducked, covering his head. When it was clear, the soldier stood back up. "We need reinforcements! We're not sure who's attacking us, but whoever they are, they don't go down!" the soldier yelled. Then another laser shot out, hitting the soldier. He slowly reached up, pressing a button, ending the transmission.

"That's the entire message. We received this message twenty minutes ago. I need you to head out there, now!" the General commanded.

"I can't General, Falco and Slippy need two days to recuperate!" Fox said, obviously frustrated.

"Ugh. The Solsen Defense Outpost is nearing Corneria in its orbit. You should be able to reach it in two days. Get out there now! It'll be too late for you to save them, then. Try to look for survivors, as well as any information on the enemy, when you get there! Pepper, out!" the General ordered, the communication link disconnecting.

Fox turned around, then looked up at Slippy at Falco.

"You ready to go, then?" Fox asked.

"You heard the General." Falco said.

"C'mon, Fox. That transmission didn't sound too good. We have to help them!" Slippy said.

"Ok, let's go."

(Cornerian Streets)

Fox and Krystal wheeled their two teammates in wheelchairs, running towards the Hangars. Katt and Peppy followed closely behind.

"Hey! Watch it Fox! You nearly ran headlong into that pothole!" Falco complained.

"We have to get back to the Great Fox as soon as we can, Falco! I don't have time for your complaints!" Fox silenced him.

"Oh come on, Falco. If you didn't blow yourself up, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Katt joked, remaining a safe distance away from Falco.

"I didn't blow us up! It was retard over there!" Falco snorted angrily.

"Geez. That's the last time I try to save everyone." Slippy said sarcastically.

"If you're going to save everyone, remember to stay at least fifty meters away from me!" Falco joked along.

"Come on, guys. This is serious!" Fox said, pushing ahead again. "You got our Arwings, right Peppy?"

"Yes I did. Although that businessman had a few choice words for me when I got there." Peppy said, recalling the incident.

"Thanks, Peppy. All we have to do is reach the Hangars, then." Fox said, getting back on track.

"There are the Hangars now." Krystal said, turning Slippy's wheelchair in the direction of the Hangars.

(Aboard the Great Fox)

Fox ran up to the bridge while Katt and Krystal wheeled Falco and Slippy into the medical wing. Peppy followed closely behind Fox, ready to assist in take off. When they reached the Bridge, Fox and Peppy immediately started inputting commands, commanding ROB to work as well. After a couple of minutes, the Great Fox exited Corneria's atmosphere.

"Well, we came back home, just to leave again." Fox sighed, slumping into his chair.

"It's ok, Fox. C'mon, let's go down to the living area. I prepared a victory meal for everyone." Peppy said, opening the door.

"Ok, I'll send out the message for everyone to come down." Fox said, heading to the communicator next to the door.

(Medical Wing)

Krystal and Katt placed Falco and Slippy onto two patient beds inside the medical wing. Ever since the Great Fox upgraded to the Dreadnaught class, they had a surprisingly large medical wing, with eight patient beds lining the whole wall. Katt took this opportunity to redo some of Falco's bandages.

"AHHH!!! Do you have to yank them off like that!?" Falco asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Stop being such a pansy! Look, Slippy can handle it." Katt said, unrolling a new set of bandages.

"It's easy for me to take off bandages. All I have to do is secrete some mucus on my skin and they slide right off." Slippy said with a smile.

"Ok, that's just disgusting." Falco said. Katt ripped off another bandage, much to Falco's discontent. The ship started rattling as the girls replaced the bandages, indicating the ship had taken off.

"Looks like we're heading out again." Katt announced.

"Genius deduction." Falco said with an apparent amount of sarcasm.

"Oops, looks like I messed up this bandage. Guess I have to do it again." Katt said, yanking off the bandage again.

When she finished affixing the new one, Fox's face appeared on the communicator next to the door.

"Hey, everyone. You done over there?" Fox asked.

"Just about." Krystal answered.

"Good. Peppy made dinner already. So when you're done, come down to the living area."

"Ok, see ya then." Katt confirmed. Fox ended the transmission. "Anymore snippy remarks?" Katt asked Falco, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope, I'm good." Falco said meekly.

"Good. Let's go eat!" Katt said, running out the door with Falco's wheelchair. Slippy and Krystal just sighed, slowly exiting the medical wing.

(Cornerian Academy, Room 203)

Fox continued sitting in the chair, still shocked at the bird's attack. Slippy tried looking for a way to console his new friend.

"Hey, Fox. Come on. It's ok. C'mon Fox." Slippy tried pleading.

"Why'd he say that?" Fox murmured, continuing to stare blankly.

"I don't know, Fox. But you don't deserve that. Come on, let's watch the tracking device again." Slippy offered, holding up the console. As he did so, Falco and Katt walked into the room. Falco went straight to his seat, ignoring the distressed vulpine. Katt took a seat as well.

"We're really sorry for his earlier behavior." Katt said, scratching the back of her head.

"No, not really." Falco said, his arms crossed. "I stand by what I said."

Fox shot a glare at him.

"Why are you such a jerk!?" Fox exploded, standing up, his emotions running out of control. "What did I ever do to you!?"

"It's not you. It's everyone else." Falco said coolly, reclining in his chair.

"What!?" Fox asked through gritted teeth.

"I don't have anything against you, but I stand by what I said." Falco stated again.

"How can you say that, you-you…" Fox stammered.

"Falco, maybe you should apologize." Katt insisted.

"No, I mean what I said, now he knows what we felt." Falco said.

As he said that, the teacher finally walked into the classroom, downtrodden.

"So you're the only ones, huh." he said gloomily. Fox sat back down in his chair, glaring at Falco. Falco merely sat up in his chair and looked at the board.

(The Living Area)

Katt and Falco burst into the living area, soon followed by Krystal and Slippy. Peppy and Fox already had most of the plates set up, finishing the last couple of dishes.

"Wow, looks good." Katt said, wheeling Falco up to the table.

"Yeah. You really went all out, didn't ya Peppy?" Falco said, looking at the food.

"Well, it was supposed to be a victory dinner…" Peppy started.

"But we did our job, Peppy! So it is a victory dinner!" Slippy exclaimed, Krystal wheeling him up to the table as well.

"Haha. I suppose you're right there, Slip. So let's get started then!" Peppy said, piling his plate with food.

"You gonna be able to move your arms alright, guys?" Fox asked Falco and Slippy.

"Yeah, the medication we took before we left seems to have kicked in." Falco explained. "Wish they'd work on these bandages you ripped off, though."

"You want me to pull them off again!?" Katt threatened.

"Never mind." Falco said, defeated again.

The team finished their celebratory dinner, and then lingered in the living area for a while. Slippy was flipping around the channels on their television. Fox's ears perked up when he heard the news channel.

"Hey, Slippy. Go back to that news channel." Fox asked.

"Sure thing." Slippy said, doing as he was told. The picture behind the newscaster depicted a road filled with burning debris.

"Today, Team StarFox, hired by General Pepper, apparently thwarted yet another terrorist scheme today. This picture here shows the remains of a Jatrian cargo van, which members of Team StarFox apprehended from the terrorists. Inside, devices used for mind-control were found. We have several eye-witness accounts of Team StarFox's actions." the newscaster reported. The picture behind the reporter then switched to that of a kangaroo, the camera zooming in.

"Yes, well. I heard this knocking at my door, then, when I answered it, there was a fox there. He asked me if I received a package today. I told him yes. He asked if I could go get it, so I did. I brought him this clock, which, as you can see, he tore apart. I didn't know it had a terrorist device in it though." the kangaroo explained.

"Oh sure, she doesn't mention the grief she gave me about the clock." Fox said, aggravated. The camera then switched to a panda. "Oh no." Fox sighed.

"Yes, well. When Mr. McCloud showed up, he asked me if I received a package today. I told him yes, then went to retrieve the items I had received today, like he asked. Today, however, was delivery day, so I showed him all the items I had received. Then, he asked if any were from Jatria. I gave him my Jatrian lamp, not wanting to hinder his progress." the panda said with a smile.

"WHAT!? That's not what happened! He tried forcing me to pay for it, then when I even told him I was on StarFox, he called me a thief for taking it!" Fox yelled at the television.

"Hey, at least you're on T.V." Falco said from his chair. "We're the ones that disarmed all of them, and we don't even get mentioned."

"Like I want to hear from these people." Fox said, slumping down back into his chair. Krystal patted him on the head. The camera then switched back to the reporter.

"Looks like Team StarFox is getting busy. We asked General Pepper's secretary where they were, and she told us they were already sent out to their next mission. So, if any of you out there received a package from a Jatrian shipping company, be sure to check it thoroughly for a terrorist device. If you find one, be sure to send it to the Cornerian Command Building as soon as possible. This is Amy Sybak, Channel-" Slippy turned off the television.

"Hey, ROB!" Fox called to the robot from his seat. "How long till we reach the Defense Outpost?"

"Estimated time to reach Solsen Defense Outpost: 34 hours, 53 minutes" the robot stated.

"Ok, I say we all rest up, then." Fox announced. "You guys are gonna need all the rest you can get." he said, indicating Falco and Slippy.

"Yeah, yeah." Falco said.

"C'mon, Falco. I'll help you with those bandages before heading off to the guest room." Katt offered, already rolling his wheelchair out of the living area.

"You want me to roll you to your room, Slippy?" Krystal asked.

"If you could, that'd be great. I think I took too much medicine, I'm having trouble moving my arms." Slippy said, failing to raise his arms above his head.

Fox headed to the door, followed by Peppy.

"G'night Peppy." Fox said.

"Night, Fox." the hare said in return.

(Falco's Room)

Katt wheeled Falco into his room. It was much slower than the way it was before, much to Falco's surprise.

"Ok, ready to get those bandages off?" Katt asked, pressing a button to close the door.

"You're not going to yank them off again, are ya?" Falco asked, suspicious of her actions.

Katt just walked up behind him, then gently pulled off the bandages. Falco winced, expecting pain, but found none. He relaxed, letting the feline pull the bandages off. Katt took the time to inspect his wounds more thoroughly. The doctors had stitched together several large gashes, and burns ran down along his arms, some burns reaching his face.. Underneath the bandage on his left arm was a metal pole, used to straighten out the broken bone. Katt remembered finding him in the wreckage, the door pressed down upon his arm. She figured that was what broke it.

"You're a real mess, aren't you?" Katt asked, pulling off the last of the bandages.

"Yeah, well. I didn't think those things would explode. Guess I have Slippy to thank for that." Falco said, propping himself up on his right arm. He slowly stood up, his legs not used to supporting his weight again. He slowly made his way towards his bed. He made it halfway before his legs faltered. Katt caught him by his left shoulder before he hit the ground.

"Need help?" she asked, helping him over the rest of the way to his bed.

"Thanks, Katt." he said, lying down.

"You gonna be ok?" Katt asked as she rolled the wheelchair next to his bed.

"Yeah, I think I'm good." Falco responded.

"Ok, then. Night." Katt said, walking towards the door. Falco watched her walk, then called out after her.

"Where did you sleep that night, the night you came onto the ship?" he asked.

"I told you, I slept in the guest room." she said, still walking towards the door.

"So you're telling me you found the guest rooms in the dark? In this huge ship?"

"Good night, Falco." Katt told him again. She opened the door.

"Sweet Dreams, Kitty-Katt." Falco called out.

Katt closed the door, tears welling up in her eyes. She dashed down the hall, and went into her room.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Well, this went faster than expected. Did everyone enjoy the constant stream of updates? Another chapter describing the bonds between the teammates, I know. At least it had a little action in the beginning. Don't worry, I'll get to the main action sequences again, if not in the second half of the next chapter, then in the chapter after that. Did everyone enjoy the cute little scene at the end? I enjoy little cute scenes like that every once in a while. It makes the characters feel more real. Oh, and if someone doesn't mind, I need a list of dog breeds. It's getting harder to think of different dog types as I go along. The only ones that come to mind that I didn't use yet are Newfoundland and Golden Retriever. And Bloodhound, which I might use later. If I could get a list of dog breeds, as well as a list of more animals, that'd be great. So, now that all of that is out of the way, time for reviews!

Reviews:

-_paranoidsocialclub__ 2009-01-01 . chapter 13_

_You were right. Short chapter, but I forgive you!  
Solsen, eh? All that pops into mind is Solar... oh well. You've probably got plans for it... (imagines Moon Mountain Pass) sorry... i couldn't help myself_

~PSC, Who is replaying Star Fox Adventures and admiring the scenery...~

Cape Claw and the Ocean Force Point Temple were very nice, relaxing places... So was the walled city and the Krazoa Palace

Yay, not hated for short fillers! Yeah, Solsen is another made up area, like Jatria. I was thinking of Bolse Defense Outpost from StarFox 64 when I created it. And yeah, I got plans for it. Although it's not going to be like Moon Mountain Pass…more tech and whatnot. Yeah, I liked StarFox Adventures. It was like Legend of Zelda (which is another one of my favorite series) but for StarFox. I don't see why everyone dissed it, it seemed better than some of the games out there nowadays. Here's to another chapter!

-_theXbeat08__ 2009-01-01 . chapter 13_

_My god, yet another cliffhanger. I know you said that they weren't your one joy in life, but...are you sure?_

Creepy adjectives used for creepy enemies just make it more exciting. I honestly can't think of a noncreepy enemy in any scenario. I also think creepy is a good word to use over and over again.

Thanks for the compliment about the talkshow thing! And I completely agree! I just don't get people who like the Fox/Wolf thing! It's just WRONG!! Sorry, I feel kinda strong about it. Keep up the great suspense!

Good luck!  
theXbeat08

Um, cliff…hanger? Just joking. But seriously, get used to them. They're gonna be everywhere. I like to make endings as memorable as possible. Oh yeah, the creep factor is gonna be cranked up to 11 in the Solsen Outpost arc of this story. I don't want to give anything away though, so I'll leave it at that. And yeah, creepy is fun. Your welcome, I liked the little talkshow thing, although I bet you got a lot of grief about it for putting it in instead of the actual story. People are just so greedy. Yeah, I feel just as strongly about the Fox/Wolf thing. Some people are just twisted. Here's to suspense! And to another chapter!

-_Flamer Lucan__ 2009-01-01 . chapter 13_

_Well, this story sucks. I read the first chapter, which was great, but then it went downhill. Here's a hint: Plan out your chapters before this story, Which can be salvaged, turns into a heaping pile of **. Sorry if I'm coming off harsh, but I don't want to see another story fall victim to My-**-Can-Write-Better-**-Than-This syndrome.  
Ch. 1: 9/10  
Ch. 2: 8/10  
Ch. 3: 5/10 (where it starts to drop  
Ch. 4: 7/10  
Ch. 5: 8/10  
Ch. 6: 5/10  
Ch. 7: 4/10  
Ch. 8: 7/10  
Ch. 9: 5/10  
Ch. 10: 8/10  
Ch. 11: 3/10  
Ch. 12: 4/10  
Ch. 13: 2/10_

Well, I'm telling you now, that _**is**_ harsh. I will thank you, however, for the compliment on the first chapter. And I do plan out the chapters before I write them. I'm not some juvenile writing a picture book here. And here's a hint for you: learn to use English better. I see a couple of grammatical errors in this one message alone. Seriously, I got a couple of underlines when I pasted your message into my Word document. 'Which' should be lowercase if you plan on using it in that context, which I don't suggest you do, because the abundant commas throw off the whole sentence. The sentence should go like this: 'Plan out your chapters before writing the story. Then, they can be salvaged, before they turn into a heaping pile of ****'. I mean, really, where do you come off!? You get a profile on this website for only one day, and you're already judging people's stuff!? You don't even have any stories of your own up! All you did was set up a community where you put people's work that don't reach 'your standards'. You don't have a Beta Reader Profile or anything to show you're a legitimate writer. So sorry if I offended the 'Almighty Writing God', but until you put up some work that proves to me you aren't at a kindergarten-reading level, your review is just going to be considered a complete load. Thank you for complimenting the first chapter. Have a nice day.


	15. Calm before the Storm

Chapter 15: Calm before the Storm

(Aboard the Great Fox)

Fox was up early the next morning, getting everything ready for the next day. He was already up for a good thirty minutes when Peppy walked into the living area.

"Morning, Fox." Peppy yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning, Peppy." Fox said, rushing around the table, setting up the plans for the team's entrance into the Solsen Defense Outpost.

"You been working on this all morning?" Peppy asked, surprised at the level of attentiveness Fox had, despite the early hour.

"Yeah." Fox confirmed. He finished inputting the last of the commands, then sat down to admire his handiwork. When he was done appreciating what he had done, he stood up and started heading for the kitchen. "Ready to make breakfast, Peppy?" Fox asked.

"Sure thing." Peppy said, ascending the stairs behind him. While the two toiled away in the kitchen, Slippy and Krystal slowly filed into the living area, Slippy having a slight limp as he walked. When they smelled the aroma of food wafting down from the kitchen, they quickly perked up, sitting down at the table patiently.

"Morning, team!" Peppy called out from the kitchen. "Food will be ready in a couple of minutes. Is Falco and Katt up yet?"

"Not yet, Peppy." Slippy responded.

"Well, tell them food's ready, would ya?" Peppy asked, retreating back into the kitchen.

Slippy started getting up, his arms shaking as he pushed off the table.

"Want me to get them, Slippy?" Krystal asked, taking note of Slippy's condition.

"No, it's all right. This has to be physical therapy or something." Slippy said, letting go of the table. He dashed clumsily across the living area, stopping at the couch to support himself. He then slowly positioned himself to the opposite side of the couch, letting go once again, dashing headlong into the wall. Once he found a comfortable enough position from which to support himself, he turned on the communicator on the wall.

(Falco's Room)

Falco sat up in his bed, awaking from a night of sound sleep. He looked down at his arms, the bulk of his injuries already fading away. Small scrapes and burns could still be found here and there, but that was to be expected. Slowly, he lifted his legs over the side of the bed, letting them dangle over the edge. He took a deep sigh, then proceeded with standing up. When he put pressure on his legs, a driving pain shot through them, forcing him to sit back down.

Well, I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be this easy.

Falco took another deep breath, then tried standing again. The pain coursed through his leg, but he endured the pain. Slowly, he limped to the door, wincing with each step. Just when he reached the button for the door, a face popped up on the communicator next to him.

"Hey, Falco." Slippy called over on the communicator.

"What!?" Falco yelled, aggravated at the toad for disrupting his concentration.

"Katt's not responding to any communicator messages, you mind checking in on her since you're already down there?" Slippy asked, slipping slightly as he tried to reposition himself against the wall.

"You do realize that if I do this, you owe me, right?" Falco asked menacingly.

"Why's that?" Slippy asked, thinking he was just asking a simple favor.

"Because I'm in incredible pain right now, and the only reason I'm in this pain is because you blew us up!" Falco roared, wanting to strangle the toad through the communicator screen.

"Ok, ok. Fine. I owe you. Just go get Katt, ok? Breakfast is ready." Slippy said, disconnecting the link.

Falco sighed, then opened his door, limping out into the cold expanse of the hallway.

(The Guest Room)

Katt tossed and turned in her bed, a cold sweat breaking out all over her body.

"No! Let me go! Help, Falco!!!" the feline called out in her dream.

"Katt!!! No!!!!" the avian called back, reaching out his bloodied arm.

Katt jolted awake when she heard a knocking come from the door.

"Come in." she said meekly, still shaking from the horrors she had just experienced, pulling the covers up to her neck. The door opened, revealing a blue avian. He limped inside, then reclined against the wall.

"You ok? You didn't answer any of the messages Slippy sent." Falco informed her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just…sleeping." Katt responded

"Well, come on, breakfast's ready." Falco said with a smile. He held out his arm.

When Katt looked at his arm, her mind flashed back to her dream, Falco reaching out, blood running down his arm. She shook her head, taking a deep breath, dismissing the images out of her head.

"Ok, let's go." Katt said, getting out of bed. She helped Falco walk to the living area.

(The Living Area)

Slippy attempted to get back to his chair after finishing using the communicator. On his way back, however, he stumbled, falling face-first into the floor. Krystal rushed over to him, nearly dragging him the rest of the way to his chair. She propped him up, making sure he wouldn't fall over.

"Thanks, Krystal." Slippy said in a dazed tone.

"Slippy, you're going to have to be more careful." Krystal said with a sigh.

"FOOD'S READY!!!" Peppy called out, walking down the stairs carrying trays of food. Fox came out after him, carrying the same amount. They set the food on the table. As the plates were being set, Falco and Katt walked in.

"Morning, everyone." Falco said, limping to his seat with Katt's aid. The two sat down, reaching for plates of their own.

"Ok, everyone, dig in!" Peppy announced. The team began piling food onto their plates. When everyone had finished eating, Fox started getting the plans set up on the table.

"Ok, everyone. Now it's time to get serious." Fox said, his expression showing his determination. Everyone turned towards him, giving him their full attention. He pulled up the plans on the table's computer, displaying a diagram of the Solsen Defense Outpost.

"Here's the entrance to the Outpost." Fox indicated, a red box focusing on a spot on the diagram. "It's large enough to house the Great Fox, so we'll make this our base of operations, that is, assuming it wasn't too severely damaged in the attack."

"What if it is too damaged?" Falco asked, knowing Fox had planned out every situation.

"If it is too damaged, then we'll have to leave the Great Fox outside, entering the Outpost by Arwing. Any survivors we find we'll have to ferry back." Fox explained. "Once we're inside, we'll do a systematic search of the entire base, starting from the upper tiers, heading downwards." Fox said, a red line going from the top of the diagram to the bottom, illustrating his plan.

"You all be careful now." Peppy called out, carrying dishes back into the kitchen.

"We know, Peppy. You say that every time." Slippy said, stretching his arms.

"No, Slippy. He's right. Remember, this attack only occurred yesterday. We have no idea who coordinated it, or how much damage is done. We're flying into this blind. Which brings me to my next point…" Fox said. He typed in several commands on his communicator, then showed everyone the screen. "This base is pretty big. I just turned up the wavelength of my communicator. I suggest you all do the same, that way, we can easily find each other on radar."

As Fox said that, everyone pulled up the same screen on their communicators, bringing up the wavelengths to the same level as Fox's.

"Ok. Remember to keep checking your communication's link. There's the possibility that whoever attacked the Outpost is still in there. If they set up a jamming signal, then we won't be able to communicate. That's why I have this." Fox said, holding up a small pin. He pressed on it, a small bulb on the large part of the pin began blinking over and over again. "This pin is our alert signal. It runs on a separate frequency than our communicators, differing from radio waves. It won't be affected by any jamming signals. If you press on the button on the pin, everyone else's will also start blinking. That way, we'll know there's an enemy onboard the Outpost." Fox explained. He passed out the pins. "Is everyone clear on the plan?"

"No problem, Fox. We'll take care of this." Falco said for everyone.

"Ok, good." Fox said, sitting down. He pressed a button on the communicator, the face of a robot appearing on the screen. "ROB, how much longer till we reach the Outpost?"

"Estimated time to Solsen Defense Outpost: 22 hours, 12 minutes." the robot responded.

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Slippy asked aloud. "I can't even really remember what we did before we had the Orbital Gate…"

"How about some practice?" Fox said with a sly smile.

"Practice? Practice for what?" Slippy asked.

"If everyone would follow me." Fox said, heading towards the door.

(The Training Room)

Fox led the rest of the team down to the lower levels of the Great Fox. At the end of the trip, he opened a door, showing the rest of the team the training room. It was a large grey room, with many different types of training equipment in different areas. The team walked inside, looking around at the large room.

"Why didn't we know about this?" Falco asked, sitting on a bench used to weight-lift.

"I didn't know about this room either until I checked out the detailed map of the Great Fox." Fox said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hey, we have a flight simulator like in the Academy!" Slippy said, going over to a capsule-like pod in the far corner of the room.

"Yeah, and we have these screens to see what's going on." Fox said, walking over to a plasma-screen near the simulator.

"Hey, Foxy, why's this corner blocked off?" Katt asked, indicating the corner opposite the one from the flight simulator.

"That's the target range. You can practice with a blaster there."

"Hmmm. I guess saving the galaxy over and over again has _some_ perks." Falco said, looking around at all the equipment.

"Good. So now's the time for your physical therapy!" Fox said, smirking. He pulled a pole off the wall and tossed it to Falco. He took another one for himself.

"What?" Falco said, just catching the pole.

"I don't want you to get rusty. This next mission could be a matter of life and death, and I want you to be ready." Fox said. "Hey, Slippy. You should come over here, too."

"Uh, no thanks Fox. I think I'll pass this time." Slippy said, immediately rushing over to a treadmill instead.

"Hey! If I have to do this, then you should too, frog!" Falco called out to him. As he said that, Fox rushed over to Falco, swinging the pole down, attempting to hit his head. Falco barely had enough time to raise his own pole in defense. "Are you insane!?"

"Keep talking and you're gonna get bruised!" Fox laughed, continuing his assault. He swung the pole at Falco's left side. Falco blocked it again. Fox then countered by smacking his shin with the opposite end of the pole.

"OW! DAMMIT!" Falco screamed, clutching his shin with his arms, hopping on one foot, his pole dropping to the ground. Fox stood and watched.

"See? If you don't get ready, you're gonna put everyone at risk."

"Shut up! You just whacked me with a pole!" Falco said through gritted teeth.

"If you have enough energy to talk back, you should be able to defend yourself." Fox said, swinging at Falco's head. Falco ducked, grabbing his pole from the ground, retreating into a battle stance.

"That's more like it." Fox smiled.

"Fox, be careful. He's still hurt." Krystal called out. Fox only waved to her, blocking one of Falco's swings.

"C'mon, Krystal. Those two aren't going to listen. Let's check out this flight simulator…" Katt offered, walking over to the pod. She climbed in and put on the helmet. In moments, she was flying an aircraft, with several other ships closing in around her. Krystal watched Katt fly the ship on the screen outside the pod, the screen showing several angles of the simulation.

Slippy, not wanting to get involved in Fox's and Falco's fight, checked out the recreational gear. He turned on the treadmill, going at a walking pace.

_I did have trouble walking before…_

Slippy could feel the pain in his legs as he took his steps. After a couple of minutes, though, the pain started fading away. Slippy increased the speed, gaining tolerance to the pain in his legs. After a good five minutes, Slippy was at a jogging pace. He pumped his arms as he jogged, building tolerance to the pains there, too.

(The Living Area)

Peppy finished washing the dishes from the breakfast. Tired from his duties, he went to the couch in the living area. He turned on the television. Unable to find anything interesting, he proceeded to the bridge.

_Might as well try to become more familiar with this ship._

Peppy found ROB already on the bridge. The robot continually typed upon his virtual keyboard, keeping the ship's systems constantly in check.

"Hello, ROB." Peppy said, heading over to a section of screens depicting ship information.

"Greetings Peppy." the robot said, no tone of any sort in his metallic voice.

"The ship doing alright, ROB?" Peppy asked, pressing some buttons on the keyboard before him, bringing up several schematics of different parts of the Great Fox.

"Affirmative, repairs to Great Fox have been completed while on Corneria." the robot informed Peppy.

"Repairs?" Peppy asked aloud. "Oh that's right. Those ships on Jatria…"

"Affirmative." the robot answered. Peppy rolled his eyes.

_That robot will answer any question._

"Hey, ROB. What exactly was damaged during that fight?" Peppy asked, curious now.

"Damage Report: 88% Shield Damage, 4% Bridge Damage, 7% Hull Damage." the robot listed.

_Bridge Damage? When did that happen? I don't remember any damage…_

"ROB, bring up video recording of that battle." Peppy ordered.

"Affirmative." ROB said, walking over to a separate set of keyboards. He typed in several commands, bringing up a video of the dogfight, choosing the footage from the camera that sat atop the Bridge. Peppy walked over, inspecting the video for the precise moment when the Bridge was damaged. He watched for several minutes, then found what he was looking for. A missile flew out from one of the opposing ships. It weaved through the laser fire, connecting with the Bridge. The shields blocked most of the impact, only a fraction of the original force reaching the Bridge.

_Ah. That's right, I remember now._

Peppy rewound the video, trying to find out which ship fired the missile. Peppy looked intently at the screen, watching the missile fly out from the ships.

"ROB, zoom the image on to the missile." Peppy ordered.

"Affirmative." ROB stated, typing in more commands. The screen zoomed in, the missile now the focus of the image. Peppy looked on, identifying the ship that shot the missile. "So, he's the lucky son-of-a-gun."

As Peppy continued watching the path of the missile, he noticed something in the background.

"ROB, focus the image on that light in the background." Peppy said, curious again.

"Affirmative." the robot said, doing as commanded. The screen now focused on the light in the background. Peppy allowed the footage to play. The light moved behind the enemy's armada.

_There's no way that can be a star._

The light continued moving, coming into view again for only a moment after passing behind the last ship, the screen shaking as the missile connected with the bridge, the camera losing track of the light.

"ROB, zoom in again."

"Affirmative."

Peppy inspected the light again. He now recognized where the light was coming from. It came from a G-Diffusor.

_That's a ship!_

"ROB, zoom in one more time."

"Affirmative."

Peppy tried making out what type of ship the light was. He couldn't quite see, the light disappearing behind an armada ship. He kept watching, waiting for it to emerge. Just as he was about to see it, the camera shook again, the missile had connected.

"Damn! The camera shakes just as I'm about to get it!" Peppy cursed. Just as he did, ROB stirred into motion again.

"Incoming message from General Pepper." the robot stated.

Peppy pulled away from the video.

"Ok, ROB, let it through." Peppy said.

"Affirmative."

In the center of the bridge, the Cornerian Emblem popped up, soon followed by the visage of General Pepper.

"Hello, General." Peppy said.

"Ah, Peppy. Where is the rest of the team?" the General asked.

"They're in the training room, I believe. What can I do for ya?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you had all the supplies you'll need before you reach the Outpost." the General said. "You don't want to run out of medicinal supplies. If you use all of it for the survivors, you might not have any for yourselves if you're injured as well."

"Oh, of course, General. I'll go check right now." Peppy said.

"Thank you, Peppy. Well then, I'll leave you to it. Good luck out there. Pepper out." the General said, his head disappearing behind the Cornerian Emblem before turning off entirely.

"Oh well, time to do stock checks, then." Peppy said, heading down to the medical wing. "Hey, ROB, you come help too."

"Affirmative." the robot said, following after the hare.

(The Training Room)

Falco reclined against the wall, breathing deeply. He raised his pole to the side, blocking a swing, only to be struck in the chest by the opposite end of the opponent's staff.

"C'mon…Falco! Keep…going!" Fox panted, using his pole to support himself now.

Falco took a step forward, starting up another assault. He swung to Fox's left. Fox blocked. Falco immediately countered with a swing to Fox's legs. Fox jumped it, spinning in the air, crashing the end of his weapon into the side of Falco's head. Falco dropped down to the ground, breathing heavily.

"Gonna…have to do…better…than that." Fox continued to pant.

Falco struggled back up to his feet, using his pole to help himself the rest of the way up. He raised his staff, bringing it down forcefully. Fox blocked it, raising his own staff up with both hands. His feet slid backwards due to the sheer force of the attack. Falco then quickly kicked Fox's shin. Fox flinched at the pain. Falco immediately seized the opportunity, putting his staff through the loop Fox created between his staff and his arms. He pulled violently, ripping the staff from Fox's grip. Fox staggered forward as he lost his weapon. He then went flying backwards as Falco bashed him in the chest with the hilt of his staff. Fox lay flat on the floor, panting heavily. Falco sat down, letting his weapon fall away from him. He was breathing just as heavily.

"Are…we done…_now_?" Falco asked.

"Yeah. Let's…stop now." Fox said, still laying upon the floor.

At that moment, a voice rang over the ship's intercom.

"Everybody, come back up. I'll be cooking dinner soon." Peppy's voice said.

Slippy, entirely focused on running, was startled by Peppy's voice. He lost his footing, getting sent flying backwards off the treadmill. He crashed into the weight set behind him.

Katt, who was watching Krystal use the Flight Simulator, rushed over to the toad.

"You alright, Slippy?" Katt asked, helping him up from the pile of weights.

"I think I'm done exercising now." Slippy joked, the pain running through his body.

"Yeah…you heard…Peppy. Food's…ready." Falco called over to them. Katt helped Slippy back to the door as Fox and Falco stumbled over. She then went back to the pod, tapping on it.

"Hey, Krystal! It's time we went back up!" Katt called into the pod. Krystal nodded, taking off her helmet. She opened the pod and walked to the door with Katt. The team then proceeded back to the living area.

"I think I'm going to clean up, first. Falco said, looking down at himself. He was covered in sweat, which wasn't the most comfortable feeling.

"Yeah, I am too." Fox said, following Falco down the hallway.

"Me, too. I need some water on me after all that. I lost too much." Slippy said, stumbling after his teammates.

"Let's go help Peppy with dinner." Krystal offered.

"Ok." Katt agreed.

(The Living Area)

The team enjoyed the dinner, finishing quickly after having their extensive workout. Fox and Falco helped Peppy clean the dishes while the rest of the team rested in the living area.

"So, what did you do while we were working out, Peppy?" Falco asked, cleaning another dish.

"Oh, I just did some supply checks in the medical wing. General Pepper wanted to make sure we had enough supplies." Peppy explained.

"General Pepper? How'd you get the call? I didn't hear ROB announce any messages…" Fox asked.

"Oh, I was in the bridge earlier, checking some footage from while you guys were on Jatria." Peppy recounted.

"What were you watching?" Krystal asked, bringing in another dish.

"Well, while you guys were on the surface, some warships came out and started attacking. I was just watching the battle."

"Really? Sounds exciting." Katt remarked, following after Krystal into the kitchen.

"Yeah. I took care of them though." Peppy said triumphantly. "But, then I found something quite interesting on the video…"

"Well?" Falco asked, being impatient as usual.

"Well, there was this light. I didn't notice it before, I was too busy fighting off those warships. But I saw it in the video. I can't remember what it was though…" Peppy said, trying to remember the conclusion he reached. "It's on the video, I could show you."

As the team got up to head for the bridge, the intercom turned on again.

"Estimated time to Solsen Defense Outpost: 8 hours, 5 minutes. Team should commence REM Sleep soon." ROB's metallic voice reminded.

"Oh, well. We'll check out the video after we finish our mission tomorrow. Ok Peppy?" Fox asked.

"Alright. ROB's right, it's getting late. I think I'll head to bed. G'night everyone!" Peppy said.

"Night." the team said in return.

"Finally, sweet sleep." Falco said, imagining rest.

"Let's go." Slippy said, trudging towards the door. The two of them stumbled towards the door, bumping into each other at the doorway.

"Come on, you two!" Katt said, grabbing both of them by their arms. She dragged them down the hallway after her, the two struggling to keep up. Fox and Krystal watched the whole scene from a distance, slowly walking after them.

"They remind me of children." Krystal laughed.

"Katt always did act like a big sister. Sort of." Fox said. "Well, time for bed."

"Good night, Fox." Krystal said, looking into his eyes.

"Night, Krystal." Fox said, turning towards his room's doorway. Krystal slowly walked down the hall. Fox watched her, then proceeded with going into his room. Krystal, when she was sure no one was around, ran up to Fox and pecked him on his cheek. Fox stopped, surprised by the sudden action.

"Sleep soundly, Fox." Krystal called back as she rushed down the hallway.

Fox merely blushed, then went into his room.

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Author's Notes: Well, I didn't get to the action this chapter. Hence the title. Affirmative. Haha. Anybody notice the robot abuse in this chapter? Poor ROB, always doing as told. I know I used 'Affirmative' a lot in this chapter, but the team forgot about Robonukah and I wanted to show how they mistreated ROB. Just kidding, I just needed them to do some stuff, and ROB was a good way to get it done. Don't judge me. So yeah, night terrors and beating on cripples. Life is good. And, as promised, the action starts up again next chapter. So here's another chapter. Another notch in the belt. Hope you enjoy. Time for reviews.

P.S. Did something happen to the XBeat? She didn't review and I'm kinda getting worried…

Reviews:

-_Days of the phoenix__ 2009-01-02 . chapter 14_

_Wow... what a jerk. Anyway here's that list of dogs you asked for  
Position Breed  
1 Labrador Retriever  
2 Yorkshire Terrier  
3 German Shepherd Dog  
4 Golden Retriever  
5 Beagle  
6 Dachshund  
7 Boxer  
8 Poodle  
9 Shih Tzu  
10 Miniature Schnauzer  
11 Labrador Retriever  
12 German Shepherd Dog  
13 Staffordshire Bull Terrier  
14 Cavalier King Charles Spaniel  
15 Golden Retriever  
16 Border Collie  
17 Pug  
18 English Cocker Spaniel  
19 Dalmatian  
20 Rottweiler  
(listed by popularity, of course.)  
Katt, you're so mean to Falco on occasions! Anyway! I've fulfilled my duty! Don't stop writing!_

Yes, he is a jerk. And THANK YOU FOR THE LIST!!! I really need this. It's hard to think of dogs to use in the Cornerian army, so this will definitely come in handy. And Katt is sometimes a sadist when it comes to Falco. It's mean, but she means well. Thank you again for the list, and don't worry, I won't stop writing! Here's to another chaper!

-_Forever Fades Away__ 2009-01-02 . chapter 14_

_0.o... He flamed YOU, Too! this guy is out of control. I like the chapter... I wonder if anything will be left alive by the time the team reaches the outpost?! I'lljust have to wait and see..._

~PSC, Victim of flamers and memory shortage.~

P.S. I cant think of other dogs, either... have you used Pit Bulls yet? Let me re-read the chapters...

_Forever Fades Away__ 2009-01-02 . chapter 3_

_One thing I forgot to mention. You said the Solsen outpost would be like Bolse Defense Outpost? So, does that mean it's a satellite? Or is it a planet used as a military outpost? Well, I guess I'm going to have to wait and find out._

~PSC, who apparently uses chapters he forgot to review as a way of tacking onto other reviews~

HA! I just beat SF: Adventures! Kind of sad, though. There's nothing but the Andross Fight over and over and over again... No more exploring the planet. Oh well... All I have to do now is find something to hold me over until Pokémon Platinum arrives.

Yes, this jerk is out of control. If he does anything else, I swear I'm going to report him. TO ALL OF THOSE READING THIS: IF FLAMER LUCAN FLAMES YOU, REPORT HIM! WE DON'T NEED THIS JACKASS RUINING THIS SITE! Sorry dude, had to get that out. I don't like people that insult my friends in any form, especially when it's unfounded. New name, huh? Nice partial alliteration. Just one question, you still sign 'PSC' so should I refer to you by your new name, or paranoidsocialclub still? I'll use the latter one in the meantime. So yeah, Solsen will be like Bolse, a satellite type thingy. And don't worry about the using other chapters to review thing, it looks better on the story stats if I have something there instead of a big ol' 0. Yeah, it sucks that if you save at Krazoa Palace, the only thing you can do after that is fight Andross. I miss exploring. I've only beaten SF: Adventures twice. I always had trouble with the Test of Fear. I hated that one. You should totally play Pokémon Diamond or Pearl while waiting for Platinum! Try chaining for shinies! That's what I do while I wait. Thank you for being a loyal fan. Here's to another chapter!

-_notfromearth7__ 2009-01-02 . chapter 13_

_Hiya! Good chapter! Gotta run!_

_notfromearth7__ 2009-01-02 . chapter 14_

_I think Flamer Lucan just got served. Anyway. good job_

Thanks. I just got one thing to say, 'Don't trip!' Haha. Puns. And about that Flamer…all I have to say about that is: AHH! IT'S OOOOOON NOW!!! He' gonna get SUUURVED!!!! Here's to another chapter, yo! (Hah, slang.)


	16. Search Engine

Chapter 16: Search Engine

The team awoke, each one filing into the living area. Peppy was already making breakfast for them when they arrived, feeling he had to do his part for the team. He quickly set the table, making sure everything was ready.

"Morning, everyone. Ready for today?" Peppy asked, setting food onto everyone's plates.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Fox said, sitting down at the table.

"It's going to come anyway, whether we're ready or not." Falco said, crossing his arms. "But, yeah, let's do this."

"That's the spirit, Falco!" Slippy said happily.

"Meh."

"Ok, everyone, eat up!" Peppy said with vigor, finishing passing out the food.

The team did as told, finishing everything. Fox gave the team five minutes to gather their belongings. He already had his, so he went down to the hangars to prep the Arwings. Peppy and ROB went down with him.

"Hey, ROB, did you stock the Arwings with fuel cells like I asked?" Fox asked, checking all the meters on his Arwing.

"Affirmative. All Arwings have full fuel cell tanks." ROB stated. Fox finished checking his Arwing and moved on to Krystal's.

"Hey, Peppy. Check Slippy's Arwing for me, would ya?" Fox asked, calling out from Krystal's Arwing.

"Sure thing, Fox." Peppy said, going over to Slippy's Arwing.

"How much longer till we reach the Defense Outpost, ROB?" Fox asked the robot.

"Estimated time: 17 minutes." ROB responded. As he said that, Falco walked into the hangars.

"Checking everybody's ship?" Falco called up to Fox.

"Yeah. We don't want any malfunctions while we're out there." Fox called out, jumping from Krystal's Arwing. "You feeling ok now, Falco?"

"Loads better! Not a single scratch on me!" Falco laughed, a huge, cocky grin on his face. After he said that, Krystal, Katt, and Slippy walked into the hangars. Fox went up to greet them.

"Everybody have everything they need? We can't go back inside until we're done." Fox reminded them.

"Yep! All set!" Slippy said excitedly.

"All right, everyone head to your ships then." Fox commanded, heading to his own Arwing. "I didn't have time to check your ships, so just make sure everything is in order before you head out." Fox said, indicating Katt and Falco.

"Alright, Foxy." Katt said, heading to her Cat's Paw.

"It's like he's trying to get rid of us." Falco joked, jumping into his Arwing.

"Just shut up and let's get going." Fox commanded, glaring at Falco through the communicator.

"Aye-Aye, Leader!" Falco saluted back.

"Ok, Peppy. We're heading out now. We'll signal you whether or not the Outpost entrance is safe or not." Fox informed Peppy.

"Alright, then. Talk to you guys then." Peppy said, waving. He watched as the Arwings filed out of the hangar one-by-one. "Alright, ROB. Let's go get the medical wing ready. We're gonna need all the space we get."

"Affirmative." ROB said, following after Peppy.

(Outside the Great Fox)

Fox led the group of ships out into open space. When the G-Diffusor stabilized, he boosted forward, the rest of the team following after him.

"The Defense Outpost should be coming up ahead of us." Fox informed the rest of the group.

"All I see is space." Falco said, sounding bored.

"Wait, I see something. Over there!" Krystal said, boosting towards a section of space. The rest of the team followed after her.

"What is it, Krystal?" Fox asked, braking in the middle of space.

"Over there. See? It's blocking out the light from the stars." Krystal said, turning her Arwing towards a black void. The black expanse slowly came closer and closer, continuing to block out stars. After several moments, a prism revealed itself.

"There it is!" Slippy announced.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Slippy." Falco sighed.

"Where's that entrance we're supposed to use?" Katt asked.

"We're a little early, so it should be on the side to the right." Fox said, remembering the rotation of the base. He boosted over to the side, the rest of the team following after him. After a minute, a light could be seen flickering out into the void, a dock barely visible in the darkness. Fox boosted up it. He landed on the dock, the others landing as well.

"Hey, Slippy, can you set up a force-field?" Fox asked.

"One sec…" Slippy said, fiddling with several devices. After a moment, a translucent force-field covered the docking bay entrance. Fox opened up the cockpit and jumped out.

"Hey, Slippy, you in the system yet?" Fox asked again. "You mind turning on the lights?

"Sure thing, Fox." Slippy said, pushing a button. The lights in the docking bay turned on immediately.

"Whoa." Falco said in awe.

"What happened?" Krystal asked, staring at the doorway.

The entrance to the interior of the Outpost had large gashes cut into it. The thick walls had nearly been cut all the way through, a large groove running from the top left corner of the wall to the bottom right. Rubble was strewn all across the floor, and several boxes on the docking bay had been destroyed. Fox walked out into the center of the landing platform, staring at the destruction.

"Think this is safe enough for the Great Fox?" Fox asked Slippy.

Slippy jumped out of his Arwing, lugging a device with him. Attached to the device was a large, metal spike tethered by a metal coil. Slippy ran out to Fox in the center of the platform, driving the metal spike into the ground. He pressed several buttons on the device, causing the ground to shake out from the metal spike. Slippy stared intently at the machine until the device stopped.

"Well?" Fox asked.

"It should hold. The metal used for this base is incredibly sturdy. Whatever caused that cut in the wall had to be pretty powerful…" Slippy said, staring at the wall.

"Ok, guys. You heard him. Signal the 'ok' to Peppy." Fox told the others. After several minutes, the Great Fox pulled into view, passing through the force-field. It landed on the platform along with the Arwings.

The rest of the team jumped out of their Arwings, rushing to greet Fox in the center of the platform.

"Alright. We're heading in now. Everybody, make sure you have your pins." Fox reminded everyone as he headed for the door. He tried pressing the button to open it, but to no avail. Instead, he backed up, then ran at the door. He held his foot up at the last second, using his momentum to kick in the door.

(Solsen Defense Outpost Interior)

Fox slowly walked inside the building, his blaster already drawn. He was standing in a darkened hallway, the lights flickering every couple of seconds. When it did flicker, he could see a metallic hallway stretch out in front of him. After about three meters in, the hallway split into a T, with two hallways leading to the left and right.

"We're going to have to split up. Krystal, you come with me. Slippy, you go with Katt and Falco. Use your thermal detector to look for survivors." Fox ordered.

"Leaving us with Froggy?" Falco asked, the flickering light revealing his sarcastic expression.

"Yes, Falco. Krystal and I'll take the right hallway. You guys take the left." Fox said, walking down the hallway. Krystal followed close behind him.

"Alright, Slippy. You're with us." Falco said, leading the other two down the hallway.

After walking down the hallway of for a couple of moments, it turned to the right. The lights continued to flicker, revealing the site of a battlefield.

"This place is giving me the creeps." Slippy said, beginning to shiver.

"Come on, maybe there's someone in here." Falco said, dragging Slippy behind him.

He looked down on the floor, dead bodies lay everywhere.

"This is horrible." Katt said, sifting through bodies on the floor.

"It gets worse." Falco said. Katt looked over to where he was. He was holding something in his hands. She couldn't focus in the flickering light.

"What is that?" Katt asked, walking over to him.

"Look." Falco said, holding the object up to her face. It was a green piece of cloth. On the cloth was the marking of a hand, with an eye in the center, where the palm should be.

"Oh no." Katt said, letting the cloth drop to the floor. "Where did you get this?"

Falco pointed to a body laying several feet away from him. Katt went over to it. It was wearing a green cloak, but the body had been torn to shreds by laser-fire, so much so that the body was unrecognizable. Katt couldn't even make it out if it was a man or woman that lay there.

"It must've taken these guys probably half their soldiers here or more to get that one down." Falco said morbidly. He proceeded to looking behind some boxes, which the soldiers had obviously used for cover. Slippy walked past the green-cloaked corpse. He looked down at it, then immediately rushed over to Falco and Katt.

(Solsen Defense Outpost – Fox and Krystal)

Fox and Krystal walked down the hallway, looking for any signs of any type of presence, either soldiers or the attackers. After walking for several moments, the hallway turned to the left.

"Looks like we have to go that way." Fox said. He turned the corner, Krystal following him. They were walking down another straightaway, the lights constantly flickering to reveal their path. Fox walked forward, then stumbled a bit. He looked down to see what caused it. Krystal gasped.

"Looks like he didn't make it." Fox said, staring down at the body of a soldier.

"This is terrible." Krystal said, her hands covering her mouth.

"Come on, Krystal. Let's keep moving. We don't want to miss someone because we were a couple seconds too late." Fox said. He looked down at his communicator. The three arrows indicating Slippy, Falco, and Katt had stopped.

_They must've found something._

Fox continued walking down the hallway. The lights continued flickering, revealing a body laying in a mangled position every couple of moments. Krystal drew up close to Fox. After several of moments, the hallway ended. A staircase sat to the right, leading up.

"Time to check out upstairs then." Fox said, holding his blaster up near his head. Krystal drew hers as well, in case she needed it.

(Solsen Defense Outpost – Slippy, Falco, and Katt)

Falco and the others continued down their hallway, unable to find any survivors. In the middle of the hallway was a staircase, one set leading up, the other down. The one leading up, however, had been smashed through, a metal beam crashed down on top of it.

"What do we do?" Slippy asked.

"I say we finish heading down this hallway, then head downstairs, since up is obviously out of the question." Falco said, going over his options.

"Sounds good." Katt confirmed.

The group went down the hallway.

"Anything on that thermal scanner yet, Slip?" Falco asked, holding his blaster up, ready to fire if need be.

"Huh, what? Oh, nope, n-nothing yet." Slippy said, his gear shaking in his hands.

Falco continued walking down the hallway, stepping over another corpse. The lights flickered again, revealing a dead end.

"Ok, now let's head back to those stairs." Falco said, turning around. He led the others back to the staircase, slowly making his way down. The hallway was as dark as the first one. Falco sidled up alongside the wall, the others following his lead. He looked around, seeing only one hallway go off to the left.

"I'm guessing we go that way." Katt said, letting Falco go ahead. After several meters, the hallway turned off to the right again. The group continued, checking to see if any of the bodies dotting the hallway weren't dead. As they walked down the hallway, they encountered another fork, one hallway leading left, the other right.

"We must be in the center of the base right now." Katt concluded.

"Yeah, but which way do we go now?" Falco asked.

(Fox and Krystal)

Fox slowly ascended the stairs, followed by Krystal. When they reached the top, Fox immediately put his back up against the wall. Krystal did the same.

"Krystal, can you sense anyone?" Fox asked, slowly moving forward.

"Hang on." Krystal said, concentrating. "I think so. But it's faint. I can't really tell…"

"Ok, let's keep moving." Fox said, trudging forward. As he said that, Krystal heard a faint clank come from downstairs. She dismissed it, however. She didn't sense anyone, so she assumed it was Slippy or someone with him. She quickly followed behind Fox.

"Who do you think did all of this?" Krystal asked Fox.

"I don't know. And I really don't want to know how they did it." Fox said, looking at the painful position a corpse was left in. He continued trekking down the darkened hallway. After walking for about another minute, the two vulpines reached another fork. One hallway led to right, the other continuing forward for a short distance, then turning left.

"What now, Fox?" Krystal asked.

"I'll go forward." Fox concluded. "You head down this hallway. If _anything _happens, press your pin." Fox said. Slowly, the two parted directions.

(Falco, Slippy, and Katt)

The three thought about which way to go.

"Ok, how about thi-" Katt started. As she was talking, a loud clanging echoed down the hallway to the right.

"Then it's decided, we head left!" Falco said, wanting to avoid any possible threats that could've made the clanging.

"Left? No, we go right!" Katt said, thinking the clanging could've been started by a survivor.

"Katt, don't you think we should be avoiding any possible loud clanging? It could be structurally unsound over there! We could get crushed or something." Falco argued.

"It could also be a survivor caught under some wreckage! I thought we came here to rescue people, Falco! How're you going to do that if you're running from your own shadow!" Katt shot back.

"What if it is a survivor! But what if that survivor happened to also be one of the people that attacked this place! We'd be shot down right as we walked down that hallway!" Falco said, getting aggravated.

"AHH! You were just as stubborn back at the Academy, you hot-headed jerk!" Katt screamed, storming down the hallway to the right.

"Fine, get blasted down. Join these hopeless saps that were murdered here before you! See if I care." Falco yelled back, going down the hallway to the left. Slippy stood at the fork, unable to decide who to follow.

"Uh, guys?" Slippy said meekly, the lights flickering above him. He looked around, then ran down the hallway after Falco. "WAIT FOR ME!"

(Fox)

Fox held his blaster next to his head, ready to attack anything that came at him. He turned to the left as the hallway ended, peeking his head around the corner. It was another staircase leading up.

_Don't get into trouble, Krystal. I might not get there in time if I have to run down these stairs…_

Fox proceeded with heading upwards. When the stairs ended, Fox looked around. The only thing around was one more hallway, going straight forward. He could see a light at the end, light reflecting off the wall. The light was coming from the right.

"More hallways? Is that all this Outpost is?" Fox asked himself. He proceeded towards the light. When he reached the end of the hallway, he saw where the light came from.

"Wow." Fox said, looking up. He walked out into the open. A large glass dome on the ceiling allowed light from the stars to filter in, casting a faint luminescent glow on everything beneath the dome. Fox looked around. He saw a sign that was illuminated by the light.

_Starlight Cafeteria, huh?_

Fox inspected the area he was in. This area had been attacked too. Several ditches had been formed in the floor, probably the result of grenades going off. Several of the cafeteria tables had also been overturned, either by the impact of explosions, or to be used as shields by the soldiers that were here at the time. Despite the chaotic look battlefields had, though, the starlight resting calmly upon this one had a strangely serene effect, like a painting. Fox, however, shook this thought from his head. Fox looked down on the ground. He saw more corpses of soldiers that died, not expecting this attack to come.

He walked over to behind a table, another body lay there, his mask broken. Fox knelt down next to it, removing his mask. The pit-bull had been shot in the eye. Fox lifted the pit-bull to a sitting position. His one good eye had been left open. Fox pulled the eyelid down. It was as he did this that he noticed the pit-bull had a hand in his pocket, his other hand holding an inactive grenade. Fox pulled the hand out of the pocket. He was tightly clutching a picture. Fox gently opened his hand, slowly removing the picture from his tight grip. There, sat a small family, the soldier sitting next to another pit-bull, they were holding hands and smiling. They were at a party of some sort. Sitting on the soldier pit-bull's shoulders was a smaller pit-bull, with the same black marking on his left eye as the soldier had. Fox dropped the picture.

_DAMN THEM! Whoever did this, THEY WILL PAY!_

Fox slowly pocketed the picture, silently promising to have it sent back to the soldier's family when he got back to Corneria. Fox was laying the pit-bull's back against the table when he heard a noise coming from the opposite end of the room. He quickly dove out from behind the table, somersaulting to the next table over. He peered over the top, his blaster drawn. From the serving room, he saw two shadows shift back and forth. After a minute, the two figures emerged into the open. Starlight fell onto them as they headed towards the hallway. Fox squinted, trying to make out what they were. All he saw was hooded creatures.

_No…_

Fox slowly ducked from table to table, following the figures as they went out into the hallway. He peered out from the corner as the two figures headed towards the stairway. As they descended the spiraling stairs, Fox deftly ran out, keeping his footsteps as silent as possible. He looked through the handrail as the figures reached the bottom of the stairs. He saw a marking on their cloaks, a hand with an open eye in the center. Fox eyes dilated as he made the connection. He quickly jumped over the handrail, falling atop one of the cloaked figures, immediately knocking it unconscious. As he recovered from the impact of the fall, he quickly drew his blaster, shooting the second figure in the leg. As the creature fell to the ground, Fox went up to it, pressing on a pressure point on the back of the head. The creature struggled at first, then immediately went limp.

Fox looked around, panting slightly.

_If these guys are here, there might be more…_

Fox quickly found his pin, pushing the button. It started blinking a bright red.

(Falco)

Falco stormed off down the hallway, still aggravated at Katt.

_Isn't it common knowledge that if you hear something clanging, that it's probably heavy? And if it's heavy, you should probably avoid it?_

As Falco thought to himself, he encountered another fork in the hallway, one leading off to the right again, the other continuing forward. Still thinking to himself, he unconsciously turned right. After walking down another hallway for a couple minutes, he encountered a door at the end of the hallway. Falco looked around, looking for any indication of what might be there. He pressed on his communicator, using the backlight to illuminate the darkened corridor. Another corpse lay limp at his feet, but Falco ignored it. He soon found a sign on the wall, labeled 'Soldier's Quarters'. Falco then proceeded inside.

Inside, bunk beds could be seen stretching all along the wall to the left. The right wall was a giant window, revealing the space outside.

_Nice view_.

Falco looked around, looking for anything that stood out. Several bodies lay on the floor, all of them shot down. One was clutching the blanket on the bed, the blanket now stained red. He walked all the way to the opposite wall when he heard a cough.

"Wait…help…" a soldier coughed. Falco immediately rushed over to him. The soldier was laying upon the floor, half underneath the bed. Falco pulled him out, the soldier clutching the bed's blanket to his side.

"C'mon. I'm going to get you out of here!" Falco said, starting to pull the soldier towards the door. The soldier sat there. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"No, leave me be. I'm going to die soon anyway." the soldier whispered. "But before I die, I need to tell you something…about…the attackers."

"No, that can wait. C'mon, we have the ship at the docking bay! We have medical supplies and everything!" Falco said, pulling the soldier arm.

"No, please…I have to pass on this information." the soldier coughed. Falco thought hard, then let go of the soldiers hand.

"Al-alright." Falco agreed.

"Thank you. Now, two days ago, a scouting ship found an unidentified carrier ship floating in the Quanzas Sector. We sent a team out to investigate. The ship was abandoned, empty cages found in the bottom hold. The team investigated the ship's bridge. On the ship's CPU was a list of Cornerian Military Projects and locations. The team tried to retrieve more data, but we lost contact with them shortly after. We sent out another team to go find them. But this team was intercepted by these attackers on their way to the carrier ship. They sent out a distress beacon before…falling to the enemy. But, as we received the distress beacon, another attack had already commenced onboard here." the soldier explained, clutching his side again.

"This all started when we found that carrier ship, something important must be there. Find that ship, and stop these people." the soldier coughed out. Slowly, the soldier became limp, his head finally dropping off to the side. Falco placed him slowly on the floor. He saw him still clutching the blanket. It was wrapped around his waist.

_He must've used that to stem his blood loss…it's a miracle he lasted this long._

Falco slowly stood up from the body, still looking down at the bloodied blanket. As he looked down, he noticed his pin had started blinking. He turned around, then exited the room.

(Slippy)

Slippy slowly went down the darkened hallway, hoping to find Falco soon.

"F-Falco?" Slippy called out, turning in circles as he continued walking down the hallway. When he reached the fork, he stopped.

_Where could he have turned?_

Slippy heard some more clanging coming down from the hallway he just walked through. Panicked, he ran down the hallway, going forward. He turned with the hallway to the left, encountering another staircase heading down. He nearly fell down the flight of stairs.

At the bottom, he noticed that the lights gave out a constant glow, not flickering like the lights before. The only hallway here turned to the right. Slippy slowly sidled up against the wall, drawing his own blaster. He took a breath, his hands shaking as he walked down the hallway. He reached another turn, then peered out from the corner. There, he saw two green-cloaked figures standing, holding blasters in their hands. They were standing next to a doorway, unmoving. Slippy had to cover his mouth to prevent from gasping.

_OH NO! The bad guys are still on the ship! I've-I've-I've got to tell someone!_

Just as Slippy was about to turn around, his pin started blinking, almost as if on cue. The blinking red light reflected off the wall, drawing attention from the two guards. Slippy heard their footsteps clanging down the hallway. Panicking again, he turned around. He jumped inside the first room he could find, quickly shutting the door behind him. In the hallway, the two cloaked figures ran past the door, not noticing it as they pursued the intruder. Slippy held his breath, hearing the footsteps rush past the door. When he heard the pair of footsteps ascend the stairs, he took a breath, pocketing his blinking pin. Slowly, Slippy looked around. The room he was in was dark, the only light being starlight that filtered in through the windows. He could hear labored breathing in the corner. Slippy froze, then mustered up the courage to speak.

"F-Falco? That you?"

The breathing stopped, then took a deep breath. Slowly, a voice called back out.

"Is…someone in…here?" an old voice called out. Slippy slowly walked over to the source of the voice, which came from behind a desk in the far corner.

"H-hello?" Slippy asked. The breathing was coming from a chair that was facing the wall. Slowly, Slippy turned the chair around. In the chair sat an old Shih Tzu, wearing a white lab coat. His face was swelled, and cuts and tears could be found all over his body. He made a weak smile as he saw Slippy.

"Ah, you're not…one of…them." the Shih Tzu smiled.

"Are you ok?" Slippy asked the dog.

"Not really. I'll…manage though. Pray tell, what are you doing here, young one? Obviously, this…isn't the safest…of places." the Shih Tzu asked.

"I'm on Team StarFox. We came here to rescue survivors. Are you part of the crew?" Slippy asked, remembering his duty.

"Yes, I'm one of…the researchers here. My comrades happened to be killed though. They left me alive, seeing as I'm head researcher and all that." the Shih Tzu said calmly, strength slowly returning to his voice.

"Why do they need you?" Slippy asked.

"I'm not sure. They needed me to access some private data files kept here on the ship's CPU. I have access to every data file, because, well, I'm in charge. When I did that, their leader kicked me out of the room. They tied me up here, as you can see." the Shih Tzu said, nodding towards the restraints wrapped around his body, tying him to the chair.

"Their leader?" Slippy asked as he began undoing the knots.

"Yes. A very unfriendly fellow. A vulture. He told his goons to rough me up when I refused to unlock the data. They killed my comrades afterwards, until I finally opened it for them. They said they wouldn't kill anymore, but they lied. They executed them all when I finished unlocking the data. They kept me here in case they needed anything else unlocked." the Shih Tzu explained, a morose tone in his voice.

"Well, don't worry anymore. The rest of my team is here, looking for more survivors. I'll need you to come with me. I'll get you fixed up when we get back to our ship." Slippy said, leading the Shih Tzu back to the door. When he opened the door, though, he could hear footsteps coming back down the stairs. Slippy immediately went back inside the room, the door closing as the footsteps walked in front of it. Slippy waited until the footsteps passed, then he peered out the doorway. The footsteps came from the two guards from before. They stopped when they turned the corner, frozen in fear. Slippy could hear a voice yelling.

"-ere you two! While you were off doing who knows what, I could've been killed! Don't worry, I won't hurt you now. I'll do it after I get this data back to the Mind. He expects me to get this data back! I'm his trusted Palm, and I won't be made a fool!" the voice roared. The two guards stood there, waiting for the source of the voice to catch up to them. Slippy retreated back into the room, waiting for the footsteps to pass by again. When they did, he slowly peered out, signaling for the Shih Tzu to follow him when he knew the coast was clear.

"See, I told you he was very unfriendly." the Shih Tzu whispered behind Slippy.

"Shh." Slippy whispered back, following the footsteps up the staircase. He made sure they were a reasonable distance away before climbing up the staircase himself.

(Krystal)

Krystal slowly parted ways with Fox, walking down the lone hallway. She turned another corner, finding another hallway. The hallway, however, opened up into a large room. Boxes were everywhere, either destroyed or partially damaged. Krystal slowly made her way to the corner of the room. There she found a communicator terminal, a body slumped up alongside it. She looked back, noticing a hole in the floor created by a grenade blast.

_This man was the one who sent the distress signal…_

Krystal knelt down next to the body slumped on the machine. She sighed, standing back up. As she stood back up, she noticed a glint of light reflect off of something inside the communicator terminal. It was the camera that was used to send the image of the communicator to the other person.

_Maybe it recorded the battle before…_

Krystal switched the machine on, searching through the machine's separate functions. She found the video command, turning it on. Slowly, she watched the battle that had occurred her earlier. She watched the frantic tactics of the soldiers, firing randomly at the enemy offscreen. She watched the soldier send out the distress signal. Then, the enemy appeared on the screen. Krystal watched as the green-cloaked figures walked in front of the camera, making sure their enemies had fallen. When they were sure that the enemy had been defeated, they moved on to the next area. Krystal shut off the machine.

_It's them again…_

Krystal then noticed that her pin was blinking. She wished the soldiers peace, then went out of the room.

(Katt)

Katt stormed angrily down the hallway, still aggravated by Falco's previous statements.

_That jerk. How can he abandon someone in trouble!_

Katt continued walking, turning the corner to the right when she reached a dead end. After several moments, she found the source of the clanging.

_I knew it! That jerk was scared for nothing!_

Katt stood there, facing a giant metal girder. She looked up, searching for where it came from. It came from several floors up, crashing down to this floor. It knocked out some panels in the ceiling, thus causing the clanging. Katt looked at it for a moment, then moved on, still aggravated.

Katt walked down the hallway, encountering a circular room at the end. She looked upon the ground, hoping to find survivors.

_Damn these guys! They're nothing but low-lives and jackasses, aren't they! Only something lower than scum could cause this much damage…_

Katt searched the whole room, finding nothing. Disheartened, she started heading back to the hallway, taking one last look back. As she did so, a red light began reflecting off the wall opposite her. She looked down, noticing her pin had started flashing.

_Someone must've found something._

Katt quickly ran down the hall, pocketing the pin. As she was about to turn the corner, heading back to the fork, she stopped. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, followed by voices.

"-rry up! We don't have all day, thanks to you two! We have to get this data off this ship as soon as possible! We're heading back to the top floor! I don't want to be anywhere close to here when this charge goes off." the voice mocked.

Katt peered around the corner. She saw three cloaked figures. Two of them were two large animals, standing beside the smaller one. The smaller one kept waving his hand in scorn, yelling at the larger creatures. When he turned, Katt caught a glimpse of a beak.

"But enough of this. In ten minutes, this station will be within range of Corneria. When this charge goes off, the station will explode. Debris will hurtle through the atmosphere, raining destruction down upon the unsuspecting public! It's quite marvelous when you think about it." the figure said, sounding quite pleased with himself. "Now, to activate the char-"

"NOO!" Katt screamed, running out from behind the corner. The three figures turned in her direction, shocked at the sudden outburst. Katt dashed down the hallway towards the beaked figure. She kicked at his hand, knocking out the charge detonator from his hand. She quickly started swinging punches at him, the beaked figure deftly sidestepping back and forth, beginning to circle her. The two switched sides when the cloaked figure stopped. Suddenly, the figure reached inside his cloak, drawing a blaster with his feathered hand. Katt instinctively reached for hers. Before she could draw it, however, a tight grip came out of nowhere, clamping onto her right wrist. She wriggled her arm, unable to break free from the grasp. She tried hitting her pursuer with her free hand, but her captor twisted her arm, forcing her to submit. She cried out in pain as the figure twisted her arm.

"Break it." the beaked figure commanded.

The creature behind Katt did as he was ordered, twisting her arm more and more. Katt cried out in pain as he continued twisting. Then a shrieking pain shot through her right arm. She heard a snap as the figure behind her let go of her arm, letting her drop on the floor. Katt's arm fell to her side, pain coursing through it. The beaked figure smiled eerily, enjoying her pain.

(Falco)

Falco exited the Soldier's Quarters, re-entering the hallway he took before.

_I wonder if Katt was the one who activated the signal?_

Suddenly, his thoughts turned back to their argument moments before.

"Well, I told her to stay away from that hallway! But no! She has to go down there anyway. Guess she has to learn that the hard way!" Falco convinced himself. As his voice echoed down the hallway, he heard another sound echo back in response. It was screaming.

_Katt?_

Falco, forgetting his anger from the other moment, dashed down the hallway. He reached the corner, peering out from behind. He saw several figures standing at the fork, three of them cloaked. Another figure sat upon the ground, the other three figures centered around it. Falco listened, not wanting to barge in on something vital.

"Well, that was quite rude of you." the small cloaked figure chuckled, picking up a cylindrical tube from the floor. "Too bad it didn't go exactly as planned. Now, it's time you let us be, Ms. Monroe."

The figure on the ground shifted.

"You…know my name?" the figure asked out meekly. Falco eyes widened.

_Damn it! They've got her surrounded! I've got to do something…_

Falco looked around. The hallway before him was a straightaway. He couldn't run up to her, all of them would see him coming before he even got close.

_If only they couldn't see me…_

Falco looked up, noticing the flickering lights.

_That's it!_

"Yes, I know your name. It's even ruder that you don't remember me. And I thought we were such close friends." the figure chuckled again. "Now, I believe it's time we finished this struggle." the figure said, raising his blaster evenly with Katt's head. Katt closed her eyes, waiting for the final shot. She heard a blaster fire, followed by shattering glass. She looked up, another shot rang out, striking the light down the hallway in front of her.

"KATT!" a voice called out in the darkness behind her.

"FALCO!" she called back. She heard a thud land on the wall next to her.

"C'mon Katt, get up! Quickly!" the voice said, picking her up by the arm. She started to get up to her feet, when she heard a click.

"I SEE YOU!" the voice of the figure said in the darkness. Katt saw a beam of light shoot out from in front of her, striking something next to her. She felt the hand on her arm slip away, followed by a thud as it hit the ground.

"FALCO!" Katt called out, dropping to the ground, feeling around on the floor.

A red light then started glowing in front of her, coming from a floating sphere, illuminating the room. She saw the beaked figure standing there, smirking, smoke rising steadily from his blaster tip, glowing red in the light. The figure caught the glowing sphere in his hand.

"Right on target." the cloaked figure laughed, looking down at Katt. Falco lay on the ground next to her, a blood stain forming on his chest. He was breathing heavily.

"Damn you!" Katt called out, tears streaming down her face.

"I never thought I'd get to return the favor to him. What a lucky day it is for me! Too bad I can't stay, though. It's a real shame. Oh well, ta-ta." the figure smiled, pressing the button on the charge detonator. He quickly ran down the hall, one of his guards following after him, the other lying unconscious on the floor near Katt.

"C'mon, get up." Katt sniveled, trying to pull Falco over her shoulder with her good arm. Despite her efforts, she couldn't get him up.

Katt continued struggling with Falco when she heard footsteps come up from behind her.

"C'mon, our ship is this way!" a voice called out.

"SLIPPY!" Katt called out, still struggling with Falco.

"Katt!" Slippy yelled out, blind in the darkness. He pulled out a device from his backpack, activating it. A bright glow resonated inside the hallway.

"Slippy, help me get Falco back to the Great Fox!" Katt cried, her eyes adjusting to the light.

"What happened!" Slippy asked, rushing over. The Shih Tzu ran up behind him.

"He was shot. C'mon, we have to hurry! This place is going to blow in ten minutes!

(Fox)

Fox started down the hallway again, making sure the foes he defeated were tucked out of the way. As he ran down the hall, Krystal emerged from the other hallway.

"Fox!" she called out from behind him. Fox turned around. Krystal quickly ran up to him. As the two met up, they heard a scream sound out from the lower levels.

"What's going on?" Fox asked, looking towards the source of the noise.

"That sounded like Katt." Krystal remarked.

"C'mon, she might be in trouble!" Fox yelled rushing down the hallway. Krystal followed behind him.

As the two reached the flight of stairs, they heard blaster fire ring out. The two stopped for a moment, exchanging worried glances, then continued onwards. When they neared the source of the commotion, two cloaked figures turned the corner, stopping when they saw Fox and Krystal. Fox immediately rushed the figure.

"STOP!" the figure called out. Fox hesitated, then continued his charge. He stopped when the figure held up a blaster. "Mr. McCloud, I believe there are more…urgent…matters at hand."

"Like what?" Fox asked, playing along.

"Well, for one, this place is about to explode into a million pieces in about nine minutes." the figure stated, scratching his chin. "And then there's the matter of your teammate, the blue bird. He didn't look too good when I last saw him, something about a shot in the chest?"

Fox clenched his teeth, not knowing if this figure was telling the truth or not.

"Fine, don't believe me. But I'm sure you heard those shots before, and that bird doesn't seem the type to let his prey get away, now does he?" the figure asked, beginning to walk past Fox. The figure held up the blaster at Fox the whole way, until finally dashing up the staircase, his guard following him up the stairs.

"C'mon, Krystal." Fox said, rushing down the hallway again.

The vulpines found Slippy and Katt carrying Falco as they turned the next corner.

"FOX!" Slippy called out. Katt turned around, allowing Fox to carry Falco.

"Fox, this ship is about to blow. This guy set up some charge here. He's planning to use the debris to hit Corneria!" Katt explained, clutching her arm.

"We have to get to the Great Fox!" Fox ordered. He ran down the last hallway, carrying Falco on his back. The rest of the team followed him. They quickly ran aboard the Great Fox.

"Peppy! Get us out of here, now!" Fox said, running with Falco down to the medical bay. Katt followed him.

"Alright!" Peppy called out, preparing to head up the bridge. He turned around, noticing the Shih Tzu standing there. "Is this everyone?"

"Yeah, just me." the Shih Tzu said, heading towards the living area. Peppy just sighed, running up to the Bridge.

In seconds, the Great Fox left the base, heading out into space. Fox ran up to the Bridge after he was sure Falco and Katt were receiving medical attention.

"ROB, connect me to General Pepper, now!" Fox ordered, checking the system's on the Great Fox.

"Affirmative." the robot said, typing a connection link. After a moment, General Pepper's head popped up.

"General, we have an emergency!" Fox said hurriedly.

"What is it, Fox?" the General asked, concerned about Fox's tone.

"The Defense Outpost is rigged to explode in four minutes! The Hands of Lylat are planning on using the debris to attack Corneria!" Fox explained quickly.

"Only four minutes!" the General asked, shocked.

"Yes, General. But I have a plan. I need you to open an Orbital Gate just outside Cornerian Airspace. It doesn't matter where it leads, just get it open!" Fox told the General.

"Alright, let's hope this works, Fox." the General said, disconnecting the link.

(2 minutes, Cornerian Airspace)

The Orbital Gateway activated, a green portal expanding out into open space. The Solsen Defense Outpost drifted towards it.

On Corneria, citizens looked up to the sky, pointing at the large green disc above them. They all murmured as they saw the hulking monstrosity beyond the green disc grow closer and closer…

(1 minute, Great Fox Bridge)

"Alright, Fox. It's open. Now get out of there!" the General commanded.

"Yessir." Fox saluted. "ROB, all power to the engines, head seventy degrees east!"

"Affirmative."

The Great Fox began drifting off to the right. The engines suddenly roared to life, driving the Great Fox through the expanse of space, heading towards Corneria. As it sped away, the charge onboard the Solsen Defense Outpost activated. In seconds, the base was torn to pieces, a large sphere of fire engulfing it. Chunks of heated metal flew out in all directions. The Great Fox weaved back and forth, dodging the chunks, flying towards the safety behind the Orbital Gate. As the Great Fox hid behind the Gate, chunks of debris entered into the portal, being transported to the deep reaches of space.

Author's Notes: DEAR SWEET JESUS CHRISTMAS! This is the longest chapter so far, just beating out the first chapter by a thin margin. Yeah, I know, I keep injuring Falco. It all makes sense later, though, so don't go bashing me saying "WTF! He just recovers from an asplosion and then you SHOOT him!" And before anyone asks, it's safe to assume everyone on the base had died, or was in the process of dying. That's why it's ok to blow up the base. Ok? Good. It's really late right now, 3:49 A.M., so I don't have much more to say, now for reviews!

Reviews:

-_theXbeat08__ 2009-01-03 . chapter 14_

_Alright, this was just a filler chapter. But it was still a GOOD filler chapter, don't get me wrong._

_The tension from Fox and Falco's past goes really well with the story, but I have a feeling they have to make up at some point, 'cuz otherwise they wouldn't be wingmates would they?_

_And Falco and Katt's little thing at the end was so cute! Haha, with all the nastiness the team goes through SOMETHING that isn't life-threatening has to happen at some point! Keep it up!_

_Good luck!  
theXbeat08_

_theXbeat08__ 2009-01-03 . chapter 15_

_Double review. Again. Yay! Wait...did you put these up at the same time or something? I feel bad 'cuz I missed the last chapter._

_Yet another filler, but this one was better than the last one! No Fox/Falco from the past, but in the present! Nice._

_AND another semi-cute scene at the end! Although that was sorta totally expected, it was still cute._

_And I wanted to say this last review, but I thought it was mean. Then I realized other people did...so I hope this guy doesn't go flame my story, but that was really rude of Flame to...well...flame you. There's gonna be the negatives out there, but you just have to ignore it and keep writing. Which you should do. 'Cuz this story rocks._

_Good luck!  
theXbeat08_

Yeah, filler chapters. Sweet aren't they? Thank you for saying that the gooey center is good. Yeah, those two have to make up, otherwise I'd be a lunatic that leaves giant plotholes in stories for no reason…moving on. Um, yeah, I'm not going to comment on that 'life-threatening' part, since well, uh, yeah, this chapter here. And hooray for more double reviews! First off, no, I didn't post these at the same time, I'm just getting really good at updating within a day. Yeah, more filler. As you can see, I needed all the space I could get for this chapter, which would've been even longer had I combined this with chapter 15. And yeah, I'm schmaltzy. Also, that flamer dude does suck. But don't worry about him flaming your stories. If he does _**anything**_ rude to any of you guys, I'm gonna report him until he's kicked off the site. What he's doing is just plain rude and I won't stand for it, especially with my friends here. I'm already pretty POed at him for flaming FFA, and if he does it to you, he's gonna regret ever making that account. So don't worry, I got your back. So yeah, his review is still considered a complete load, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Here's to it!

-_Forever Fades Away__ 2009-01-03 . chapter 15_

_Well, i made those reviews before I changed my name. I could imagine Slippy and Falco acting as children. Anyway, I can't wait for the next chapter. Who was the person shooting at the Greatfox? Well, i'm pretty sure I'll find out later._

_~FFA, who noticed a typo~ When General Pepper was talking about medical supplies, you spelled it mecicinal... Thought you'd find that interesting. I think I'll play my Diamond version again..._

_P.S. You DIDN'T use pit bulls yet! well, there you go!_

Hey, I used pit bulls now! So now you're FFA, huh. Nice. And yes, Slippy and Falco always act like children. Oh, and I'd like to clarify now. That bit with Peppy watching the video, the light he tried looking at, it DIDN'T fire the missile. One of the ships in the armada fired it. I just needed Peppy to focus on something, because I needed him to notice that light. The light wasn't the actual one firing the missile. Sorry for the confusion. And about that typo…DOH! I've noticed little typos here and there, I'll fix them later. Besides, that one, I found one more. So that's a grand total of two. Here's to another chapter!

-_notfromearth7__ 2009-01-04 . chapter 15_

_Slang is pretty weird sometimes. Anyway, I can't wait to see who the mystery missle firer guy is._

Yeah, slang is fun. But, yeah, as I said in the other review, the missile isn't the actual emphasis there. It's the little light. The missile was just a plot device used to connect the two ideas. I know, it was worded in a funky way. I'm sorry. Just remember that light though, it's coming up real soon, like, oh, I don't know, next chapter! Here's to this chapter!


	17. Simple as Can Be

Chapter 17: Simple as Can Be

(Cornerian Academy)

The hallways of the Cornerian Academy resonated with sounds as students filed to and from class to class. The emptiness the Academy experienced the day of the tragic death of James McCloud seemed to never have happened. One young vulpine in particular could be seen weaving through the crowds of the school, the meandering streams of animals merely a small obstacle on his way to his destination. He emerged in a large room, rows of tables sitting before him. Multitudes of students sat at these tables, eating and talking. The vulpine scanned the large room, finally finding what he was looking for. He rushed to a nearly empty table, its only inhabitant a green tadpole. The tadpole fiddled with a device before him, using his almost fully-developed arms to the best of his ability. The vulpine set his books to him as he took a seat next to the tadpole.

"Hey, Slippy." the vulpine said, settling down into his seat. "What's that?"

"Hi, Fox." the tadpole responded. "This-this is a comm. intercept! With this, we can intercept communication signals on any frequency! And its almost done!" the tadpole said excitedly, reaching for one last wire with his fingers.

"Cool." the vulpine said, pushing the last wires together for the tadpole, who obviously had trouble reaching for the wire with his still somewhat under-developed fingers.

"Thanks, Fox. Now it's finished! Let's try it out!" the tadpole exclaimed, flipping a switch on the mechanism. The device instantly jerked to life, spitting out a garbled noise from its speakers.

"Is it supposed to sound like that?" the young vulpine asked.

"We have to change the frequency!" the tadpole burst out, immediately turning some knobs on the face of the mechanism. The garbled noise fluctuated until it slowly turned into a voice. "There we go."

"It's a commercial…" the vulpine commented unenthusiastically, listening to an ad for drain cleaner.

"Well, yeah. But I made it and that's what counts." the tadpole said triumphantly, crossing his arms.

"Ok, Slippy. Good for you." the vulpine encouraged with a smile.

"Whoa there, Tads. You don't want people to think you're spying on them. That'd just be plain rude now, wouldn't it?" a voice called out from behind the two.

The two turned to see an urbane avian standing behind them, a feline hovering next to him. The avian took a couple of steps forward, inspecting the device.

"Oh come on, Falco. Leave 'em alone. I want to get some lunch." the feline called out to the avian, trying to pull him away. The avian merely shrugged her off as he continued inspecting the device.

"Hey, Falco." Slippy said coldly, avoiding eye contact with the bird. "I thought I asked you to stop calling me that…"

"Call you what? Tads? Oh come on there, Tads, I thought we were buddies?" the avian mocked, sitting across from the two, flicking a switch on the device.

"Hey, quit it, you're gonna mess up the frequency receiver!" Slippy yelled, reaching for the device. The bird pulled it just out of his reach.

"Like it matters. I'm doing you a favor, girls might think you're spying on them, and they wouldn't like that. Right, Katt?" the avian laughed. The feline merely rolled her eyes. The avian turned back when he felt the device pulled from his grasp, only to see the vulpine handing it back to Slippy, who immediately shoved it into his backpack.

"Back off, Falco." the vulpine said, a commanding look in his eyes.

"What was that, Fox-boy?" Falco shot back, leaning in over the table.

"I said, BACK OFF." Fox said, raising his voice.

"And is the son of the Great McCloud gonna make me?" Falco asked, standing up.

"Maybe he will!" Fox said angrily, standing up.

"Let's go then!" Falco said, going over to Fox's side of the table.

"No, Falco. Come on, the periods almost over now!" Katt called out. As she did so, a bell sounded, and the multitudes of animals sitting inside the cafeteria began to file out. "SEE! That's it, I'm getting some food, and you're paying for every bit of it!" Katt demanded, dragging Falco by the arm.

"You'll get off this time McCloud! Next time, your hide is mine!" Falco called out, being dragged by Katt. Fox waited until he was out of sight before he sat down.

"MAN, he really annoys me…" Fox growled angrily, his head between his arms.

"It's ok Fox. He's just a jerk. Now come on, we're gonna be late for Chemistry." Slippy reminded him, packing up his things. He stopped when his stomach growled angrily. "Aww, I just realized. I was so busy working on my interceptor that I forgot to eat again."

"Come on, Slip." Fox said standing up. He took off his backpack and tossed Slippy a fruit bar, taking one for himself. "You also forgot that I always pack these, too, just in case."

"Thanks, Fox." the tadpole said, ripping the bar open, devouring it instantly. The two then left the cafeteria.

(The Great Fox – Medical Wing)

"No…Falco…" Katt sobbed silently to herself, staring at the next bed over. ROB hovered over the bed, his mechanical hands switching from tool to tool with graceful precision. Slowly, he cleaned up Falco's wounds.

"Katt, I know you're worried, but I'm going to need you to hold still. I can't get your arm splinted unless you arm is relaxed." Peppy said, struggling with Katt's arm. Katt, however, continued to watch ROB operate on Falco.

"He's going to be fine Katt." Peppy tried to reassure her. "He's been through plenty, he survived an explosion, for goodness' sake!"

"But, look at him Peppy." Katt said back, flinching as Peppy tightened the cast around her arm.

"Phew, finished." Peppy said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Yes, Katt, I see him. But believe me, I spent many years with this guy here. He won't be taken down this way. I can feel it in my joints."

"You can't seriously expect me to believe something like that." Katt said defiantly, sitting up in the bed. "Can you look me in the eye and say that you know someone that can survive a wound like that?"

Peppy just leaned over, staring directly into her eyes.

"Yes, I do. And he's lying right there." Peppy said, pointing to Falco. "And if you're still not convinced, we're heading for Corneria now. Fox already worded ahead. We'll have doctors waiting for us when we land. Ok?"

"Ok." Katt said, lying back down on her bed.

"Ok. I'll leave you be then. You finished there, ROB?" Peppy asked the robot.

"Negative, I need to regulate the tr-"

"Good, good. Well then, we'll be leaving then. Just holler if you need something, Katt. C'mon ROB." Peppy said, walking before the robot. The robot glanced at Falco, then followed after Peppy.

Katt continued to recline upon the bed, resting her broken arm across her stomach. After several moments, she got up, and went to Falco's bed, sitting in a chair next to it. Tears streamed from her eyes, dropping onto the bedsheets.

"Falco, I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess. You must hate me. I wouldn't blame you, I'd hate me too. I should just leave. Yeah, that's what I'll do. The moment you're okay, I'll tell General Pepper I can't do this anymore. I mean, you left me for a reason, right? I should've just left it that way…" Katt sobbed, reaching for Falco's hand. "I'm sorry."

As Katt sat there, Falco shifted in his sleep, his hand pulling out of her grasp.

"That's ok. I wouldn't want to be near me either. I'll just leave." Katt said, getting up. She started heading for the door, taking one last glance back at Falco. "Night, Falco."

(Great Fox – Bridge)

"Thank you, Fox. Once again, catastrophe has been averted. The debris of the Solsen Outpost is heading towards the deepest reaches of the system. It's all thanks to you." the holographic head of General Pepper said.

"Thank you, General, but we didn't catch the perpetrators…" Fox said in a morose tone.

"Nonetheless, a great deal of damage could've been done to Corneria, and for that, I thank you." the General said, still smiling.

As the General finished his statement, Katt walked in through the bridge doors, looking glum. She took a seat of to the side of the door. Krystal went over to her, attempting to cheer her up. The General watched her, his attention quickly shifting back to Fox as he spoke.

"So, General, did you contact the doctors?" Fox asked, his thoughts also on Katt.

"Yes, when you land back on Corneria, we'll have the best doctors in Corneria waiting for you. They'll be onboard as soon as the stairs touch the ground." the General assured.

"Thank you, General. I'll contact you again when we land." Fox said, beginning to turn around.

"Very good. Until then, Fox." the General said, disconnecting the link.

Fox walked across the room, over to where the rest of the team hung around Katt. Fox sat to Katt's left, Krystal sitting to her right. Peppy and Slippy hovered over the rest of them.

"You gonna be ok?" Fox started, indicating her arm.

"Yeah, sure." Katt said, gazing at the floor.

"We'll be at Corneria any second now, we should get ready." Krystal said, getting up.

"That's right, come on." Peppy said, heading towards the door. The rest of the team started to follow, leaving Katt alone in her chair. Krystal looked back, noticing that Katt wasn't following. She nudged Fox, indicating Katt. The two went back while the others exited.

"Katt, what's wrong?" Fox asked.

"N-nothing. Nothing's wrong." Katt said, looking down into her lap.

"Katt." Fox said stiffly, his tone indicating that he knew she was lying.

"I said it's nothing." Katt said, turning her head away from him.

"Katt, if it's anything we can hel-"

"I SAID IT'S NOTHING!!!" Katt screamed, tears falling down her face. She merely put her face into her free palm.

Fox and Krystal stood up returning to the door. They walked in silence, the only thing they could hear were Katt's muffled sobs. As Fox reached to open the door, Katt stopped.

"I-I'm leaving." Katt said through her rapid intakes of air. "When we land, and I'm sure Falco's ok, I'm leaving." Katt said with finality.

"Alright." Fox said, without turning to look at her. He walked out the doorway, Krystal following behind him.

(The Living Area)

The team sat in the living area, awaiting their landing upon Corneria. Fox and Krystal sat on the couch, Peppy and Slippy sitting at the dining table. No one spoke, only ROB moving around the Living Area, making his rounds. After a minute, ROB spoke up.

"Approaching Corneria Airspace, landing will commence in two minutes." ROB stated. Fox merely nodded in acknowledgement. ROB continued making his rounds.

"Well, I'm going to have to direct the doctors toward Falco when we land." Fox said, standing up. "ROB, we might need you later on, so be on standby."

"Affirmative." the robot confirmed.

(Corneria – Docking Bay)

The Great Fox pulled down into the Docking Bay. As the General had promised, several doctors stood there, waiting to board. When the stairs to the Great Fox touched ground, they ran up, lugging their equipment with them. They encountered Fox as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Follow me." Fox said, dashing down the hallway. The doctors did as told. When they reached the Medical Wing, the doctors proceeded in, Fox standing at the doorway. Inside, the doctors readied themselves for operation. They unpacked their equipment, ready to begin.

_Now we wait._

Fox stood at the doorway, his comm. link ready to call ROB in a moment's notice. He tapped his foot while he waited, the sounds of the doctors shuffling giving him a tempo. After a moment, he heard another set of footsteps coming down the hallway. He looked up, seeing Katt standing there.

"Can I go in?" Katt asked, staring directly at Fox. Fox looked away from her gaze. "Well?"

"Are you sure?" Fox asked.

"Yes, I want to make sure he's alright with my own eyes." Katt said.

"No, not that. About leaving. Are you sure?"

Katt looked down now, thinking to herself.

"I-I don't know. But, I can't stand seeing him like that. I was the one that made him like that. And it's not just that! When I'm with him, I remember the times we spent together before, and then…I remember…"

"That he left you?" Fox finished for her. "There's a reason he did that Katt."

"Look, can I just go in to see him!?" Katt pleaded, tears forming in her eyes again. Fox paused for a moment.

"Alright, go ahead." Fox said, stepping out of her way.

"Thank you." Katt said.

(The Medical Wing)

Katt entered the room, the doctors shuffling about. She took a seat at one of the nearby chairs, making sure she was out of the way of the doctors. The doctors barely noticed her. They all were busy working. Katt watched as they pieced Falco back together.

"Alright, we'll now proceed with repairing the cavity." one doctor announced. The others nodded.

"Now, this is very delicate, the wound is very close to his heart. Be careful." the same doctor announced. The others nodded again.

Katt continued to watch the doctors work. She noticed sweat building up on several of their foreheads. After several minutes, a doctor would step away to wipe the sweat off, immediately returning back to work.

After a while, Katt noticed that one doctor in particular wasn't doing as much. He stood off to the side, watching as the other doctors continued working. He stood on the side closer to Katt, so she couldn't see what he was doing. After a moment, he turned around, reaching for a tool. He didn't notice Katt watching him. As he reached, Katt followed his hand. He quickly pulled his arm away, concealing whatever tool he had just pulled. Katt had seen only a blade before it was concealed.

_Why's he hiding that?_

Katt stood up now, walking clockwise around the doctors to get a better view of what that one doctor was doing. Katt watched the one doctor's hand as he slowly approached the bed. As the doctor moved his hand, Katt heard a blade sliding out of a sheath.

_Medical tools don't have sheaths…_

"Hey, what are you doing?" Katt asked, reaching out her one good arm to tap the doctors shoulder. She started walking towards the group of doctors. Then, in one swift movement, the doctor raised a dagger above his head. The others doctors looked up as he did so.

"NOO!!" Katt screamed, dashing towards the doctor.

(Outside the Medical Wing)

Fox continued tapping his foot, patiently awaiting some response from the doctors.

_Lucky we were able to get Falco onboard as quick as we did. I just hope they can finish the job._

Fox sighed, his mind returning to the tapping.

_Katt's been in there for a while. I wonder if it's good for her to see this… I mean, what if they don't succeed… No, no. They have to succeed, Falco doesn't die that easily! I would know. Jerk just doesn't stop…_

As Fox thought to himself, he heard some footsteps walk towards the door. His ears perked up, thinking there was finally some news. His ears went back down after nothing happened. Just as he was about to start tapping again, he stopped.

"NOO!!" he heard cry out from the Medical Wing. The scream was followed by silence.

Fox immediately burst in, startled by the noise.

(The Medical Wing)

Katt rushed her shoulder into the side of the doctor, both of them falling off to the side. The doctor immediately caught himself, gripping his dagger again. Katt regained her senses just as the doctor was about to ram his dagger into her. She caught him with her free arm. The doctor climbed on top of her, attempting to drive the dagger into her using sheer force. Katt's breathing became quicker, the air being crushed out of her.

The other doctors watched as the two struggled on the ground. As they reached to help her, one of the monitors started beeping.

"Keep going!" Katt commanded, continuing her struggle with the false doctor.

Fox burst in as the doctors continued working. He saw Katt struggling with the false doctor. She looked back to see him standing there.

"Fox…help!" Katt cried out, the dagger nearing her throat. Fox rushed at the attacker, slamming his shin into the attacker's face. The enemy was sent backwards, crashing into the wall. Katt quickly stood up, coughing.

"You ok?" Fox asked, assuming a battle position.

"Y-yeah." Katt said. The pursuer started to get back up. Blood was dripping from his nose.

"Ok, open the door on my mark, and then call the rest of the crew." Fox commanded.

"What?"

"Just hurry up!" Fox said. Katt went to the door as told. The fake doctor was now standing again. He picked up his dagger, watching Fox. After a moment, he rushed, his dagger aiming for Fox's gut.

"NOW!" Fox called out. Katt opened the door. Fox quickly slid to the ground, his right foot sticking out. The fake doctor tripped over the outstretched foot, about to collapse on top of Fox. Fox immediately raised his legs, catching the doctor on the bottoms of his feet. In one swift movement, he pushed, rolling on to his head. The doctor went out flying out the door. Fox quickly rolled to a standing position, and then dashed out the doorway as well.

"Good job." Fox called to Katt before the door closed. Katt slumped against the door, breathing deeply. She then pulled up her communicator, calling the rest of the team.

(The Living Area)

"-ou can see here. This is the perpetrator, Timothy Shenton, a Yorkshire terrier. Earlier today, he attempted to assassinate one of the members of Team StarFox. He disguised himself as one of the doctors that was attempting to aid the StarFox member, who was injured during the fiasco with Solsen Defense Outpost, as most of you noticed this morning. But not to worry, Fox McCloud, leader of Team StarFox, assures us that the offender has been apprehended and given to the proper authorities. We'll have more on this in later news. This is Am-"

"Well, we made the news again." Slippy called out to the others.

"Really? That was fast…" Peppy said.

"Yeah, must be a slow news day or something…" Slippy said, shrugging.

"Kind of hard to imagine that, since imminent disaster was barely avoided several hours earlier today." Peppy said.

"Eh. Who cares? Where's Fox, by the way?" Slippy asked, turning around on the couch. He was staring at Krystal who was leaning against the wall.

"He's still busy dealing with the newspeople outside. We're lucky he was able to sneak out the attacker through that crowd. The General's forces couldn't even make it past them." Krystal sighed. As she said that, Fox walked into the room.

"You done now, Fox?" Peppy asked.

"Yeah, now we just have to wait for the doctors." Fox sighed, leaning against the door. After a second, his communicator sprung to life, showing the face of ROB.

"The doctors have finished operating, they wish for your audience before their departure." ROB informed.

"Alright ROB, tell them to start coming down, we'll meet 'em on their way out." Fox said.

"Affirmative."

"Ok, everyone, let's go."

(The Great Fox – Main Hallway)

Fox and the others encountered the doctors in the hallway.

"He's going to be alright?" Fox asked.

"Yes, he's in a stable condition now. Although, he's gonna have a gnarly scar when he wakes up." the doctor in front said.

"Ok then, thank you all for your help." Fox thanked. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

"Oh no, Mr. McCloud. It was an honor to assist you. We all saw Outpost coming down. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here right now." the doctor said, the rest of the doctors nodding in agreement now.

"Ok. Thank you." Fox said. He let the doctors pass.

"Well, then. I guess Falco's asleep judging by what they said. I suggest we get ready too, it's been a LONG day." Fox laughed.

"That reminds me." Peppy said. "Hey, Slippy. That Shih Tzu you found. He's been sleeping in your room. I hope you don't mind." Peppy laughed awkwardly.

"What!? Since when!?" Slippy asked.

"Since we got back on. He said he was really tired, so he went to bed." Peppy explained.

"Alright, I guess I'll sleep on the couch…"

"Ok then, team, I guess we should get ready for tomorrow." Fox concluded.

As he said that, he heard a sound coming from down the hallway. He turned to see Katt wheeling Falco down the hallway.

"WHAT!? No 'Hello, Falco. Glad to see you're doing better Falco. We're so happy you're ok, Falco?' I thought we were all friends here!" Falco laughed as Katt wheeled him down.

"Falco!? Shouldn't you be resting!?" Fox exclaimed, surprised to see someone in his state even talking.

"What? I feel fine. Just a little hurt that you guys didn't even bother to check up on me." Falco joked, turning his head away.

"Well, it's good to see you got your sense of humor still." Fox said sarcastically.

"You're damn lucky I still have that. You would just be a lump of seriousness if it wasn't for me. And goofball there would probably be pumping out bad pun after bad pun." Falco laughed again. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Well, aside from the assassination attempt, and us saving Corneria, nothing." Fox snickered.

"Oh, so the usual?" Falco asked.

"Basically."

"Good. Well, I just came to say goodnight, since you guys wouldn't. Now, if someone would be so kind as to wheel me to my room?" Falco asked, looking up at Katt. She started wheeling him past the group.

"Hang on, Falco, we have to tell you the whole story first!" Slippy yelled.

"Well, I was planning on-" Falco attempted to avoid.

"Oh, just hear 'em out Falco. I have to talk to Fox anyway." Katt smiled leaving him next to Slippy. She pulled Fox away as Slippy and the rest explained to Falco what happened.

"What is it, Katt?" Fox asked.

"I found something you might want to see." Katt said, she pulled the dagger out of the sling on her arm. "Look at this."

Fox took the dagger, staring at it intently. On the blade, there was an engraving. It had a hand, with an open eye in place of the palm. Fox stared at it for a while, before pocketing it.

"This was his?" Fox asked.

"Yeah, I couldn't find the sheath, though. I think it's still on him." Katt explained.

"Did you find anything else?"

"No. I searched the rest of his equipment, but there was only legitimate equipment. This is the only Hands thing on him."

"Alright. But I guess that they weren't too happy about the Solsen Defense Outpost, now." Fox said.

"Yeah, that was pretty quick." Katt confirmed. As she said that, Falco wheeled himself over.

"So, I hear that you're the one that saved me, twice!" Falco laughed, indicating Katt. She turned towards him, forgetting about her previous conversation.

"Well, yeah. What? Would you leave me hanging there, Falco?" Katt played.

"Maybe, it depends on if it helps me at all." Falco played back.

"You're such a jerk!" Katt laughed, pushing his shoulder. Falco grimaced in pain, but laughed out afterwards.

"But seriously, thanks Katt. I don't know what I'd do without you." Falco said, a smile on his face.

Katt stared at him for a moment.

"Alright, time for bed now. You've been through a lot." Katt said, wheeling him down the hallway again.

"Wait, Katt. When are you leaving?" Fox called after her.

"What?" Falco asked turning around in his chair.

"What are you talking about, Fox-boy?" Katt asked. After a moment, she went back to wheeling Falco down the hallway.

"Guess she changed her mind." Fox said, scratching his head.

"Guess so. Come on, Fox. Time for bed." Krystal said, dragging him by the arm.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: WOW! Guys, I'm really sorry for the two-week period. Or is it three? I don't know, but I have an explanation. I'm on the swim team at my school, and I've been swimming A LOT. That coupled with homework does not make a lot of spare time. I mean, I just finished writing this with only one hour left before I have to go to another practice. And tomorrow is our divisional. But, now that I've got another chapter up, all is forgiven, yay. So yeah, assassins and televisions, plus more life stories. Woo! And for those that don't realize right away, time moved forward in the past, if that makes sense. And, yeah, had you going there before, didn't I? But Katt's not leaving, can't do that, at least, not in this part of the story. Haha, you can't tell if I'm joking or not. But yeah, no leaving yet. Everyone's happy. Oh, and a cookie goes to whoever recognizes the chapter title! Time for reviews.

Reviews:

-_notfromearth7__ 2009-01-06 . chapter 16_

_Well, I can see why you're injuring Falco. He seems like a loose cannon in the games, and risk does not come without consequence. And...look at you being all fancy and using plot devices. You're definetly good, on the ranks of some of the guys that were veterans when I started out in 2006._

Loose cannon that doesn't play by the rules. Yeah, he doesn't get hurt enough in the games, does he? Oh well, this is fanfiction and anything goes. ANYTHING. But yes, I am fancy, I like plot devices. And no one can stop me. Soon, my cliffhangers and plot devices will take over the world! ….Nah. I'm good. But seriously, thanks. I'm that good? As good as some veterans? I mean, really thanks. That's a really big complement coming from you. Here's to another chapter!

-_Forever Fades Away__ 2009-01-06 . chapter 16_

_Nice chapter! It seems like the crew saved the day once again, but one question. If it took two days to get there, how did they get back in a matter of minutes? Was the station moving? What will become of the small dog they rescued? Well, I figure I can wait untill the next chapter_

_~FFA~_

Thank you for the compliment. And yes, the station is moving. It's a kind of orbital station thingy, I don't know. I needed them to get back to Corneria for the explosion to be a threat, so it's orbiting. And thanks for reminding me about the Shih Tzu, I almost forgot about him. I kind of snuck him in there at the end, so if that part sounds rushed, that's why. He'll come into play later. Here's to another chapter!

-_theXbeat08__ 2009-01-06 . chapter 16_

_YAY LONG CHAPTER WITH A LOT OF STUFF HAPPENING IN IT! Haha I'm a little excited, but unfortunately you get only one review. It'll be good though, just like the other ones._

_Well, obviously the fillers had to lead somewhere. And this chapter doesn't disappoint. I started this chapter really early in the morning and finished late at night, so I may be wrong, but did Fox just send all exploding base that was gonna kill everyone away so it didn't kill anyone? If he did, THREE CHEERS FOR FOX! And SHUT UP I'm hyper._

_I actually didn't notice Falco getting continuously beaten to a pulp, but now that I think back...yeah, I guess he is. I'm curious why that keeps happening, and what info that shih-tzu knows. But something tells me you're going to use every single species of dog at some point in this story. Am I right?_

_But seriously, thanks for saying you'll stick up for us if we get flamed. I'm sure someone will stop this guy eventually. I feel bad for Forever Fades Away, though...just click on that Flamer guy's name and you'll see why._

_Anyway, LONG REVIEW so I think I'm done here. Keep it up!_

_Good luck!  
theXbeat08_

Yeah, really long chapter. Longest one yet. This one is also kinda long, so, meh. I'm tired. This was supposed to be a lot shorter, but then I added the assassin in last minute. Pretty good, huh? And to answer your first question, yes. He sent the base to the deep reaches of space to avoid imminent doom. And I won't question your hyper…ness, if you don't question my cliffhangers. Yeah, I hurt Falco. It's fun after a while, and it's building up to something else. I won't say anymore. Yeah, I forgot about the Shih Tzu. I remembered him when I started writing this chapter, two weeks ago. After two weeks, though, you tend to forget things. Oh well. And I might use every dog species, it depends. And don't worry 'bout that flamer. He needs to learn some manners, and he hasn't done anything recently that I've noticed, so I think my message got to him. And I know, FFA got torched. That's part of the reason that Flamer pisses me off. So, he starts anything, he's gonna get it. So, anyways, here's to another chapter!


	18. Null and Void

Chapter 18: Null and Void

(The Great Fox)

"How are you feeling?" Fox asked, wheeling his teammate down the hallways of the Great Fox, heading towards the Living Area for the team's breakfast.

"Like I've been shot in the chest, then had it stitched up. What kind of stupid question is that!? How am I supposed to feel? Chipper!? Peachy keen!?" Falco complained.

"Jeez, I was just asking. You can simmer down." Fox backed off.

"Let's just hurry up and get to breakfast, I've got this empty feeling where my chest is supposed to be."

_Well, he's mostly back to normal._

Fox pushed the button on the wall, and wheeled Falco into the Living Area.

(The Cornerian Academy)

"Begin."

The Dalmatian circled the Iguana, studying over his body for the slightest inclination of movement. The Iguana did the same, searching for a gap in his opponent's defenses. The two competitors continued to circle one another, each one taking caution with each step. Then, the Iguana lunged, trying to strike at the crux of the sternum. The Dalmatian braced for impact, creating a circle with his arms. He took the shock from the blow, letting it sink in. Then, in a swift movement, the Dalmatian gripped the Iguana's arm, which was caught inside the circle his arms made. He immediately turned to the side, still gripping the Iguana's arm. He pulled violently downward, using his back to lift the Iguana from the ground. The Iguana flipped over the Dalmatian's back, smacking into the floor with a grotesque thud that echoed throughout the gym room, catching the attention of several other classes that were in session. The Dalmatian followed the Iguana down to the floor, continuing to grip the arm. He quickly flipped over the Iguana down onto its stomach, folding the one arm back, holding it in place as he pressed his knee into his back.

"That's enough. The match is over. The winner, Robert Virkyle." an ancient stork announced, separating the two combatants. "Nice try Allen, you did well."

The Iguana went to the edge of the ring, while the Dalmatian remained standing.

"So, who's next?" the stork inquired, glancing around the ring, a smile permanently attached to his face. His eyes peered very slightly through nearly closed eyelids, looking for a willing volunteer.

"What's this? No one wishes to face Robert? He shall go unchallenged? Why, I did not expect th-"

"I'll face him." a young vulpine announced, standing up from the corner of the ring.

"Ah, splendid!" the stork clapped, his ever-present smile growing wider. "Now if you would take this corner."

"Fox, are you sure?" Slippy asked, tugging on the vulpine's shirt.

"I'll be fine. Relax, Slippy." the vulpine reassured his friend, taking his corner.

"Alright, Fox versus Robert, ready…. begin!"

The two immediately began to circle each other. The Dalmatian surveyed his opponent carefully, trying to look for an opening. When the two switched corners, Fox broke the tension. The vulpine dashed in, swinging his left leg at the Dalmatian's head. The attack caught the focused Dalmatian off guard, causing it to instinctively cringe, as he braced for impact. Fox quickly pulled back his foot, circling around the defending Dalmatian. He immediately intertwined his arms with the Dalmatian's, interlocking his fingers behind the Dalmatian's head. The vulpine kicked out the Dalmatian's knees, forcing him to the ground.

"Alright, Fox, that's enough. The match is over, winner, Fox McCloud." the stork announced cheerily. "Very well done Robert, take no shame in your loss. You fought valiantly."

Murmurs echoed through the class, which settled down as the stork clapped his hands.

"Very well. Shall we get the next round ready?" the stork asked again, scanning his students for another volunteer. "What? Again? Will no one challenge Fox?"

More murmurs burst out, students claiming that they wouldn't dare. Finally, a single hand raised.

"I'll knock him off that pedestal, and laugh as he falls all the way down." the owner of the hand announced.

"Ah, Falco, good. Come to this corner if you would." the stork instructed, indicating a nearby corner.

As Falco walked over, Fox caught his eye. When they made eye contact, Fox only glared, silently snarling at him. Falco merely brushed it off, making a brushing motion over his shoulder, only infuriating Fox even more. Falco took a battle stance, causing Fox to do the same.

"Falco versus Fox, ready…. begin!!"

The two didn't hesitate, dashing into the center of the ring, the rest of the class immediately backing away from the ring. Falco swung his right leg into a round kick, aiming for Fox's head. Fox blocked with both of his forearms, quickly readying his own counter. Fox did a sweep kick, aiming for Falco's single leg. Falco immediately retracted his leg, connecting into a backflip, striking Fox's chin with the flat of his foot. Fox stumbled back as Falco landed on the ground, dashing in to follow up his attack. Falco swung with a right hook, only to stop short as Fox countered with a reverse side-kick. Falco doubled over on Fox's leg, the breath getting knocked out of him. Fox continued his assault, hitting Falco with his own round kick on the left side of his head. Falco was flattened upon the ground. Fox, however, was unrelenting, following after Falco as he fell to the ground. Fox knelt over Falco's body, preparing to strike him in the face. Falco regained his senses just as Fox was about to strike, wrapping his hands around Fox's neck. Fox stopped, gasping for breath, slowly reaching his hands around Falco's neck. Falco then gave one last shove using his remaining energy, placing Fox on the ground.

"Enough, enough. Stop it you two. We're all friends here, aren't we?" the stork asked, pulling the two apart by their collars, his smile a little less friendly, but still there. The two coughed as they glared at each other in disgust. The stork merely smiled as he glanced at the two, his eyes almost entirely closed.

"Well, class is almost over, everyone go get changed and prepare for your next class." the stork dismissed. Fox and Falco continued glaring at each other, their breathing rough and heavy.

"You're lucky…he…interrupted, Fox." Falco said with a smirk.

"Wanna say that…again!?" Fox shot back, Slippy walking towards Fox.

"Yeah…next time, I'll beat you into the ground." Falco said.

"Like hell you wi-"

"FALCO!!!" a voice called from the doors of the gym. The group looked over to see a feline running over. "FALCO! HURRY UP!!"

"I'm coming, Katt!" Falco replied, giving one more glare at Fox.

"C'mon, the period's almost over! I don't want to be late again! Now HURRY UP!!!" Katt demanded, dragging Falco away by the arm.

When Falco was out of sight, Fox went to get his things with Slippy following closely behind him.

"You ok, Fox?" Slippy asked. As he asked the bell rang.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Fox replied. "He just pisses me off."

(The Living Area)

Fox wheeled Falco into the Living Area to be greeted by the rest of the team. Krystal was working with Peppy on breakfast, Slippy was watching television, and Katt sat at the table, glancing at the TV every couple of seconds.

"Hey, you guys finally made it!" Slippy announced, sitting up on the couch. Krystal and Peppy walked out of the kitchen as Katt looked up.

"Yeah, so where's breakfast!?" Falco asked, the smell of food lingering in the air.

"All ready, we just finished!" Peppy announced. "You can eat, and when you're done, you can take your medicine."

"Ah, yes! Where's my drugs? This hole here is kind of bugging me a little."

"ROB!" Peppy called out.

"Here's your medication, Falco." ROB stated, presenting Falco a vial of liquid.

"Lessee. SC-1108974: Mass Mitosis Stem Cell Regenerative Serum. Damn. How much did we pay for this?" Falco asked, eyeing the vial.

"Oh, the General paid for that." Peppy explained. "He said that the citizens were more than happy enough to pay for that ever since the scare yesterday. Apparently the citizens are pretty generous if they are just saved from cataclysmic destruction."

"Good thing, huh?" Slippy snickered. "Otherwise we'd be eating Roasted Falco for breakfast."

"You wanna say that louder, Frog Boy!?"

"Oh, what's a wheelchair-bound cripple gonna do?"

"Get over here you little twerp!" Falco roared, fervently wheeling himself over to Slippy's position.

"AAAH! Make him stop!" Slippy screamed, keeping one piece of furniture between Falco and him as he dodged around the room.

As the two argued, Krystal walked down carrying plates of food.

"Hungry, Fox?" she asked, offering him a plate.

"Yeah, thanks Krystal. Smells good."

"Yes, we made pancakes. Although Peppy burned some of them." Krystal added.

"Hey, you lose track of pancakes making all this other food." Peppy laughed, indicating the rest of the dishes. Katt picked up a pancake, showing Fox the black underside.

"It looks like a burnt-out sun." Katt laughed. "Hey, Falco, Slippy! Hurry up and come eat your pancakes before the smoked flavor sets in!"

Slippy and Falco joined the others at the table as they began eating.

"So, what do we do now?" Falco asked, finishing a mouthful.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

"Well, we blew up our one big lead in the Cornerian atmosphere. Now what?" Falco continued.

"Nothing for now, I guess. General Pepper said he'd contact us if anything comes up." Fox explained.

"What about the guy that took my bed?" Slippy asked, giving a big yawn. "You don't realize how sleepy you get until you sleep outside of your bed."

"We'll wait until he wakes up. It should be soon, seeing as it's almost been eighteen hours since he fell asleep." Peppy said, checking the time.

"Well, I'm done eating anyway." Falco said, pushing his plate away from him. "Time for the meds."

Falco took out the vial, reading its instructions.

"Are they serious!?" Falco exclaimed, reading the vial.

"What?" Krystal asked.

"I have to stab this thing into the target site and inject the serum in." Falco said, slightly grossed out. "Well, here goes nothing!"

He stabbed the needle into his chest, grimacing as the pain took hold. After a second, he was able to sit back up.

"Ow, hurts like hell." Falco said rubbing his wound.

"How long till the medication takes effect?" Katt asked.

"Two hours. This IS the good stuff." Falco laughed.

"Well, guess we have to wait until that scientist Shih Tzu wakes u-"

As Falco was about to finish his statement, the Living Area doors opened, revealing the disheveled Shih-Tzu from the Defense Outpost.

"Morning everyone." the Shih Tzu yawned.

(The Bridge)

The team sat in a circle around the Shih Tzu, who sat in the chair near the Bridge door. He had a certain anxious energy around him.

"Ok, let's start off, what's your name?" Fox started interrogating.

" Menoway. Head Researcher upon the Solsen Defense Outpost.

"Ok, Dr. Menoway. Do you recall what happened upon the Solsen Defense Outpost during the attack?"

"Yes, my colleagues and I were examining some data regarding this carrier ship one of our scouting ships found. As we were examining, we felt the ship shake. We entered into lock-down mode, waiting for the troubles to pass over. Yet, the assailants were able to break their way into our research lab. They demanded that I retrieve the information about the carrier ship and download it to a disk. When I refused, they used force. After several tries, they threatened to kill my colleagues. They went so far as to demonstrate how far they'd go. I finally complied. They said they would stop murdering my colleagues, my friends. But, as soon as the download finished, they killed them all off, and tied me to a chair. They left me in that room for storage until your green friend found me."

"Ok, that's a start. Do you happen to remember what the data entailed?" Fox continued.

"It was about that carrier ship. When our scouts found it, it was abandoned. Some empty cages were found in the main hull. Apparently, the ship was transporting some animals of a kind. They were coming from Quanzan, the planet at the heart of the Quanzas sector." Dr. Menoway finished.

Falco eyes widened as he remembered what the soldier upon the Outpost told him.

"FOX! We have to find that ship!" Falco called out.

"What!? Why!?" Fox asked, his attention turning to Falco.

As Fox asked Falco, the holographic projector in the middle of the room lit up, projecting the head of General Pepper.

"Fox, we have trouble."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Son of a bitch. I apologize many times over. I seriously regret not having this up about half a year ago. You see, I had trouble with my computer as of recent, it catching a virus and all. So yeah, I had to have my hard-drive wiped clean, including the original first half of this chapter. Then, my schedule was kind of hectic, what with all of these sport teams and school. Not to mention my social life. So with all of that, here's another filler chapter. Now for reviews.

Reviews:

-_theXbeat08__  
__2009-01-30 . chapter 17_

_Sorry, not as hyper this time. Great chapter, though! I was waiting for it!_

Well, I'm glad you threw in the assasination attempt. Helped prove these 'Hands of Lylat' guys mean business. And I'm also glad Falco's okay, and Katt's not leaving. It'd be pretty boring without them.

Also, I'm glad someone's updating. I keep meaning to, but I never remember. Oh, well. Eventually. Keep this up, in the meantime!

Good luck!  
theXbeat08

Yes, it's gonna take some time to get back into writing. So let's see. Yay, Falco's ok and is on drugs. Katt's still here. For now. *wink wink*. Am I serious? No one knows. So here's another cliffhanger for you. And again, sorry about not updating. Here's to finally getting another chapter up.

-_Mr__. __Benzidrine__  
__2009-01-30 . chapter 17_

_Woohoo! An update! and yet another cookie is JUST out of reach... Oh well. I can't think of anything, so all that's left to say is UPDATE! SOON! FF(dot)N NEEDS MORE ACTION! ADVENTURE! AND ORIGINAL LOCATIONS! *Rips off Caps Lock key*_

there. oops! now i can't write correctly!

~FFA, who ate half a barrel of sugar!~

Yay, yet another update. And here's the answer to the cookie question. "Simple as can be" is a line from the Eight Melodies used in the Mother games. Sorry, I'm a huge Earthbound fan, as well as Starfox and Legend of Zelda. So here we are, I got two out of three demands right. More timeliney action/adventure sequences and more original locations. All I need to do is work on updating! And eating questionable amounts of sugar sounds like fun, I ought to try it sometime! Here's to another chapter!


	19. Future Tense

Chapter 19: Future Tense

(The Bridge)

"General, what are you talking about?" Fox asked, his attention turning away from the previous conversation.

"It's bad, Fox. We just lost contact with our contacts in the Quanzas sector." the General explained.

Fox turned back to the team, surprised to hear the relevancy of the topic. After a reassuring glance from Krystal, he turned back to the General.

"Is it the Hands of Lylat?" Fox continued.

"We don't know, Fox. There was no distress signal. No sign of opposition. That's what has us worried. A whole military complex doesn't go down quietly." the General stated, his lack of sleep permeating through his eyes.

"Ok, General, we'll be right on it." Fox assured him.

"Thank you, Fox. I'll brief you more when you leave the atmosphere. Pepper out."

The holographic head disappeared, allowing the team to mull about their thoughts for a couple moments. Fox broke the silence when he finished absorbing all of the new information.

"Well, you heard the General. Everybody, get ready to head back into orbit." Fox instructed. Everyone did as told, filing quickly out of the room. Fox waited until the room was empty to confront Dr. Menoway.

"Doctor, this is going to be a dangerous mission. I'm going to have to ask you to stay behind." Fox stated.

"Yes, yes, I understand." the Doctor agreed.

"Head to the Cornerian Command Building. General Pepper will provide you with a room. Meet with ROB, he'll have your Command pass ready for you." Fox instructed.

"Thank you, Mr. McCloud." the Shih Tzu said feebly. He started heading for the door, but stopped just before leaving. "Mr. McCloud, avenge my fallen comrades."

Fox turned towards the Doctor, and watched as he slowly stepped passed the doorway, letting the door close behind him.

"Don't worry, Doctor, they won't get away for the crimes they've committed."

(The Living Area)

"Ok everyone. Are you all ready?" Fox asked the team, looking around at everyone.

"C'mon, Fox. We all know the protocol by now, we're not new cadets or anything." Slippy laughed.

"Right, I'm going to hold you to that Slippy. Falco, how's your chest?"

"To tell the truth, it's kind of itchy." Falco said, thoughtlessly scratching at his chest.

"STOP THAT!! Didn't anyone tell you not to scratch your scabs!?" Katt yelled, smacking his hand down.

"Ow, calm down!" Falco whined, rubbing his hand. Katt merely huffed.

"Ok. But your chest isn't going to bother you?" Fox asked again.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Remember, this is the fast-acting stuff." Falco said with a grin.

"Alright, then. Let's head back up to the bridge, we're heading back out." Fox stated.

"Aww. We're never gonna get another break, are we?" Slippy moaned.

"C'mon Slips. You're coming with us whether you want to or not." Falco grinned, pushing Slippy in front of him up to the bridge.

Fox watched the team pass in front of him, then noticed Krystal give an expression just as she headed for the stairs.

"Krystal, are you ok?" Fox inquired.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have this feeling." Krystal explained.

"What do you mean?"

"I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

(The Bridge)

"Open the hangars!" Fox commanded.

"Yes sir, Mr. McCloud." the soldier complied.

Within seconds, the hangar bay doors opened, allowing the Great Fox to exit the Cornerian Atmosphere.

"Well, back into the great void." Falco sighed.

After the ship had finished breaking through the atmosphere, the holographic projector jumped to life again.

"Greetings, General" Fox instinctively said.

"Yes, Fox. Now, for the mission." the General quickly stated, moving right on topic. "We have our base located on Quanzan, the central planet of the Quanzas system. We've had no trouble maintaining contact with the base until just recently. We need you to go investigate."

"Alright, General, we'll get right on it." Fox stated back.

"The base is located in the capitol city, Girinja." the General added.

"Thank you, General."

"Good Luck, Team StarFox."

(Cornerian Command Building)

"Are you going to bed for the night, Dr. Menoway?" Kim asked the Shih Tzu.

"Hmm. Oh yes, yes I am. I've had a long day." Doctor Menoway replied.

"Alright, good night Doctor." Kim said pleasantly.

"Yes, thank you." the Doctor thanked, heading into the elevator.

He exited when he reached his floor, Floor 43, Apartment Complex. He walked down the hotel-esque hallways until he reached his room, Room 218. With a sigh, he put the key card through the slot and unlocked the door. He walked inside and removed his jacket, placing it on the coat rack.

He proceeded to sitting on the bed, looking out the balcony window. An impressive view of the Cornerian night-life could be seen outside the window.

_So many lost. So many. Yet, here I am._

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He walked over to the doorway and peered through the eyepiece. He saw two soldiers, one slightly taller than him, and one the size of a delivery truck.

"Dr. Menoway? Open up. We have business with you." the average sized one stated. He held up his ID card to the eyepiece. The Doctor unlocked his door and opened up.

"Yes?" the Doctor asked.

"We have urgent business with you, we'll need you to come with us. If you'd follow my associate." the soldier said, indicating the tank.

"Oh, alright then." the Doctor complied, following the giant through the hallways. The shorter one held back for a moment, pressing a button on the side of his helmet.

"Task complete, we have Menoway in our possession." the Soldier informed. A shadowy outline of a figure sat in front of him, only a faint outline able to be seen in the darkness.

"Good. Was there any trouble?" the figure asked gruffly.

"No, he came without resistance."

"Excellent, return now. May the Hands guide your way." the shadowy figure concluded. The transmission cut, the image of the shadow figure replaced by an emblem. The emblem had a yellow-hand with an eye in the center, where the palm would be.

"Yes sir. Returning to base." the Soldier stated darkly.

He quickly turned on his heel and followed after the large beast and Dr. Menoway.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Yay! Another Chapter already. I'm back in the saddle…again. So yeah, yet another filler chapter. In retrospect, this one was kind of short too. Oh well, it's out of the way! Guess what's gonna happen next chapter? ACTIIIIIIIIOOONN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's taken about a year or so, but there's more kick-ass story coming up! So here's to another chapter! Now for reviews!!!

Reviews:

-_theXbeat08__  
__2009-05-17 . chapter 18_

_DUDE. Before I even read your response to the last review, I was like "Holy **. I'm gonna kill this cliffhanger guy." I mean COME ON!_

Besides that, nice update. I missed this story, and I'm glad it isn't dead. I knew I'd never be able to update, so I just ended mine. Teehee.

Very good fight with Falco and Fox. Super-intense. I wonder who would win though. I feel like they both would have strangled each other to death if they kept going.

And about the whole 'new story' thing...um. Well, I'm kinda not gonna be on the site at all starting at the end of June and ending in August. So I don't know if I should start a new story yet, even though I have ideas. We'll have to see on that. Maybe I'll just wait for you to finish. Bwa-ha-ha.

Good luck!  
theXbeat08

So uh, yeah. Cliffhangery ending, huh? *backs away slowly*. But all avoiding imminent death aside, at least this ending wasn't quite as cliffhangery as last time. Don't worry about this story ending, the only way it's going to end is when I finish it and start the sequel, or I die in a horrible accident involving my knees snapping in half. That or explosive amnesia. And thank you for the fight compliment. I drew inspiration for that from one of my old Taekwondo sparring matches, except for the strangling part. Frankly, I think the two would probably kill each other before actually finishing a fight. So I really have no idea who would win. And you're not going to be here? Aww, does that mean no more reviews until August? Fooey. Oh well, that's how the chicken wraps I'm eating crumble. And don't wait until I finish, this has at least a good year and a half left of writing if I factor in all my time management. So here's to another cliff-hanger chapter!

-_notfromearth7__  
__2009-05-17 . chapter 18_

_Sweet job. It doesn't really matter that you haven't updated, as long as you update at some point. Good chapter my man._

Why thank you, kind sir. It's encouragement from fans like you that make this all worth while. Know that this last chapter is dedicated to your honor. Here's to your dedicated chapter.


	20. Skip a Beat

Chapter 20: Skip a Beat

(The Living Area)

The team sat around in the living area, having just left Cornerian Airspace.

"The Gate's opening!" Peppy exclaimed as the emerald plane opened before the Great Fox.

"Great. Man, I do not miss having to fly from planet to planet." Falco sighed, scratching his bandages again, only to have Katt smack his hand again.

"Yeah, though it did give us time to bond." Slippy said with a big grin smeared on his face.

"Who the heck would want to bond with you?" Falco snipped jokingly, causing Slippy to stick his tongue out at him and causing Katt to smack him in the head.

"Hey, ROB, what's the estimated time to Quanzan?" Fox asked, staring out the living area window into the deep expanse of space.

"Estimated time to Quanzan: 3 hours, 13 minutes." the machine voiced in reply.

"Even with the Orbital Gate, we still have time to spare." Falco verbalized as he heard the estimate.

"Well, the reason for that is, the enemy will know we're coming if we warp directly to them, Falco. At least this way, they won't know we're there until we're practically on top of them. With the warp gate out this far, we could be a caravan or something going to an entirely unrelated location." Peppy explained.

"Oh well, it'll give me some time to stretch my muscles again, after having some of it blasted away." Falco said, stretching. Katt looked concerned as he said that.

"Whatcha gonna do? Workout?" Slippy asked as Falco glided past him.

"Yeah, I'm gonna check out the rest of that rec room that we got. I suggest you do too, pudgy. Maybe that way, you won't be as much of a liability in every single mission." Falco said somewhat sarcastically, poking Slippy in the arm.

"Hey, at least I didn't get shot last mission! I even rescued the only survivor! I did more than you last time!" Slippy retorted angrily.

"It's bound to happen sometime, right? How about you make it two for two this time? Betcha you can't do it." Falco replied with a grin. He bore his fist into the top of Slippy's skull and quickly danced out the door as Slippy recovered and gave chase.

"Well, he looks better already." Krystal remarked, watching as Slippy ran after Falco.

"Yeah, well, that's Falco for you. He just doesn't die, no matter how hard you try. I would know, I've tried." Fox smirked, remembering back to their Academy days.

"You'll have to tell me." Krystal said, her interest piqued.

"Maybe in a bit, I'm somewhat interested in exploring the rest of the Training Room as well." Fox said, his attention drifting out the door.

"Yeah, let's go. It's a lot less fun here without those two, though I hate to admit it." Katt said with a smile, dipping her head in between Fox and Krystal's. "My arm needs a bit of stretching, too. I haven't moved it too much since it healed. Luckily, the doctors gave me some good stuff too before they left."

"Alright." Fox concluded, heading towards the doorway. "Hey Peppy, we'll be down in the Training Room."

"Ok, then." Peppy called back. "I'll be running checks and whatnot."

Fox, Krystal, and Katt then filed out of the living area. Shortly after, Peppy followed, heading to the bridge.

(Training Room)

Slippy and Katt had started using the target range, which had yet to be tested, while Fox went to the flight simulator with Krystal watching. Falco was on one of the treadmills, starting out with a jogging pace.

"So, aim down your arm like this, it'll be easier to shoot." Katt instructed Slippy as he aimed at targets down the range.

"Don't worry, I got this." Slippy said, his tongue poking out of his mouth as he aimed.

"You aren't going to be very accurate if you aim like that." Katt said, a tinge of aggravation on her voice as her suggestions were ignored.

"Just watch." Slippy said calmly, his eyes focusing down the expanse of the target field.

Suddenly, an aparoid-like figure appeared, causing Slippy to twitch.

"AAAGHH!" Slippy yelled, pulling the trigger. A large blast emanated from the tip of the gun as the toad fell backwards.

"See, I told you." Katt reminded, pulling Slippy onto his feet. Slippy only smiled and pointed after he got back up. Katt turned to see the aparoidian target missing half its torso while chunks of its legs fell to the ground.

"Bigger blast means I don't have to aim as well." Slippy said tauntingly.

"A LOT OF GOOD THAT DOES YOU WHEN YOU FALL OVER! NOW LET ME SHOW YOU PROPER FIRING ETIQUETTE!" Katt barked, forcing Slippy into proper firing posture.

Fox, meanwhile had just mowed down 500 enemies in an urban setting without sustaining a single shot on the flight simulator. Krystal clapped as he exited the cockpit.

"Good job, Fox." Krystal congratulated as he climbed down. "That's impressive, no wonder you're our leader."

"I always did like flying." Fox replied with a satisfied grin.

His ears perked up, however, when he heard a faint sound coming off from the distance. He turned to see Falco on the treadmill. He was no longer at a jogging pace now, but a brisk sprint now. Fox turned to Krystal, who was wearing the same concerned look he had.

"Falco, don't you think you should slow down a bit?" Krystal called out to the avian.

Falco however, was too involved in running. He reached down, and cranked the speed up a little higher.

"Hey, Falco! Don't wear yourself out, we have a mission in less than two hours!" Fox called out, louder than Krystal.

Falco jerked, as if he had been awakened from a trance, when he heard Fox yell.

"What? Oh….no… I'm fine." Falco reassured the two vulpines staring at him, breathing heavier. "Gotta….feel the burn….right?"

With that he cranked up the speed again, now at a full out sprint. This caught the attention of Katt and Slippy now. The two walked away from the shooting range to meet up with Fox and Krystal.

"He's going to hurt himself!" Katt exclaimed, watching the bird continually run.

"Hey, Falco! Don't you think you should stop now? You've been going at it for over twenty minutes now!" Slippy called over.

"I'm…fine! Why don't… you worry…about your shooting…technique…Slippy? It looked bad…even from…here!" Falco joked, continuing to run.

The group then started to walk over, determined to stop their friend. Just as Katt was about to voice another protest, Falco eyes dilated. He coughed out blood, and slipped on the treadmill, being thrown into the wall behind him. The group rushed over, Katt leading them. She propped up Falco against the wall, blood trailing from his mouth. He coughed into his hand, more blood pasting against his feathers.

"I told you, you idiot!" Katt yelled, concern clearly evident on her face.

"Nah, I'm fine. Guess, I did push it a little too far though." Falco remarked with a surprising calmness.

"You think?" Fox retorted, concerned as well.

"Guess that shot did more to me than I thought…" Falco thought aloud. Katt looked awe-struck when he said that. "Ah well, guess I'm done for today. I'm gonna head back up to clean up. You guys can keep going at it, though."

"Nah, we should be getting ready too. We should be within sight of Quanzan, anyway." Fox explained.

"Alright, then. I'll see you guys up there." Falco said, getting up. The team slowly started to leave the Training Room, except for Katt, who still looked dumbfounded on the floor.

Krystal noticed she didn't move as she reached the door, so she turned around and touched her shoulder.

"Katt, are you alright?" Krystal asked.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, just in a bit of shock about what happened." Katt said, her voice wavering slightly.

"Ok, I'll meet you upstairs." Krystal said, still looking concerned. She slowly headed towards the stairs, giving Katt one more look before ascending.

Katt continued to sit on the floor, looking at a small pool of blood still on the floor from where Falco fell.

_This is all my fault…._

(The Living Area)

After Falco finished cleaning up, he joined the rest of the team in the Living Area. Fox waited for him to seat himself, then started to explain the strategy.

"Alright. As the General said, our main focus is the military base in the capital city of Girinja. They were maintaining open communications with Corneria until just recently, so now we have to find out why." Fox explained.

"Not to mention to find out what was so important about that carrier ship." Slippy interjected, remembering Dr. Menoway's words.

"Yeah, according to one of the soldiers on the Solsen Defense Outpost, that ship was the reason for the massacre there." Falco added.

"Right, so we're going to fly in by Arwing. We'll leave the Great Fox up here to keep an eye on things. We can't contact anyone in Girinja, even in town, so we're flying in there blind."

"Ok then. What's the outlook of the city?" Katt asked. Fox tilted his head towards Slippy, who quickly brought up a projection of pictures of Quanzan.

"The planet consists mainly of cliffs and wastelands. Some sparse forests pop up from here and there, but they are few and far between. This environment has caused the animals to develop some nasty self-preservation techniques. The populous of Quanzan has also been affected by this, having built up walls to protect their cities from the wilderness outside. This means we'll have to land inside the city if we plan on getting anywhere." Slippy explained, pointing out to the pictures on the display.

"Great, so this means we'll have to land directly in the heart of the problem!" Falco pointed out.

"Looks that way." Fox confirmed.

"That's not the half of it." Slippy continued. "In order to keep up with the evolutionary advancements of the native wildlife, the cities on Quanzan have become incredibly technically advanced. Since there is abundant mineral reserves in the cliffs and wastelands, a lot of the planet's economic value lies in its weapon production and research."

"OH, this is just frickin' perfect! Not only are we going to get blasted out of the sky, but it's gonna be done by the most sophisticated technology we've never even seen before!" Falco complained audibly.

"That is, assuming that there are hostiles down there. We don't know for sure what is currently occurring in Girinja. We'll have Krystal and Slippy analyze the area once we're in range, then we can decide a course of action from there." Fox concluded, turning off the display.

(The Arwing Hangars)

The team entered the hangars immediately after the briefing. They performed one last gear check, then proceeded to enter their respective ships. Peppy watched them all next to ROB, standing in front of the doorway. He noticed Katt moving particularly slowly, and proceeded to talk to her.

"Hey, Katt, you feeling ok?" Peppy asked, eyeing her behind his glasses.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katt answered, looking off into the distance.

"Are you sure? You haven't been acting much like self since you got back from the Defense Outpost." Peppy reminded her.

"No, I'm ok, really." she assured him. She gave a quick glance at Falco, eyeing the bandage still evident on his chest. Peppy noticed this, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Katt, he'll be fine. That little incident in the Training Room was just him being stupid. You know that. You don't have to worry about him. He's strong and arrogant, you know that. He's not going to let some little scratch like that slow him down. It's not your fault he acts like a hot-head all the time." Peppy said with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Peppy." Katt said with a smile. Peppy smiled back and walked to the entrance while Katt climbed up into her Cat's Paw.

She glanced out into the void of space as Quanzan slowly drifted into view. She sighed, checking all the ships systems to make sure she was ready for launch.

_He might be fine, but I'm the reason he has the wound to begin with. I'm always the reason. I just keep hurting him…_

Author's Notes: The hero has returned! Many ages have passed since he last left this kingdom, now he has returned, to strike down evil, in all its forms! :P Not really. Wow, and to think I used to feel bad about not updating for a week or two. What has it been, 2 years? 3? But, alas, I have not forgotten. I never really did. It's just that life caught up to me all ninja-like before I even realized it. I'll explain that next chapter in the Author's Notes, since that chapter is already halfway finished. I really do apologize, to my loyal fans especially. This means you; Forever Fades Away who is now Time Turned Fragile, the XBeat08, and Notfromearth7. I feel especially guilty for leaving you guys high and dry like this. Know that this chapter and many subsequent ones are to be dedicated to you guys. If not for you guys, I would not have enjoyed writing this story as much as I did, and thus, I thank you guys for remaining my ever loyal fans. Hopefully you have not forgotten about me and will see this. I hope to hear from you guys soon. Now, for the reviews!

P.S. I am now a liar about action coming up in the story. I know I had an idea back when I was writing this, and I know it had action, but I have since forgotten it. I remember parts of it, but, in order to make it fit in with the story now, I have to put in some extra chapters to make it all flow smoothly. I hope you guys will be impressed. :)

-_Anonomys__  
__2009-09-12 . chapter 19_

_i really like this story. you write very well, and the plot is fantastic. it's very hard nowadays to find a fic that's not a romance about fox and krystal. please update soon! the world needs authors like you! never give up! the night is always darkest right before the dawn! follow your dreams! i wish i knew some other inspirational crap to say. please update soon, and know that you have impressed yet another reader._

keep at it.

Hooray, I have impressed another reader. Too bad he made this review about 2 years ago. :( Hopefully you have not forgotten about this story either, and will see it in an alert or something. Thank you very much for the compliments. They are very encouraging and I always love the praise. And as for more inspirational crap, to quote Journey, DON'T STOP BELIEVING! XD I do plan to keep at it, by the way. Here's to finally adding another chapter!

-_Lady Blue  
__2010-12-24 . chapter 1 _

_Wath happen to the sorty. It was getting good. Don't give up alot of your fans won't to see wath happen. And it's not gust me there's other._

And your one of the dest on this net site. Don't give up this story is gust to good to not be finsh. :~(

Sorry about the hiatus. I did not exactly plan for things to work out this way, but life does things. Seeing as this review was relatively recent, I hope you enjoy seeing this update. I can't even fathom how you managed to find this story buried into the network. I guess you managed to find one of my loyal fans and found it through their favorites. That, or you actually took the time to sift through every story to find it. Either way, I'm glad to have another fan, and I appreciate the compliments. One of the best on this site. Now that's high praise if I ever heard it. Here's to another chapter!


	21. The Beasts of Girinja

Chapter 21: The Beasts of Girinja

(Quanzan Airspace)

"All right, team, we're heading in." Fox announced as the red expanse of Quanzan drew inevitably closer.

"Beginning to enter the atmosphere." Slippy notified, red streaks of flame appearing on the fronts of the Arwings.

The ships entered the atmosphere, leveling out after breaking through the layer of ozone. A barren, rocky landscape stretched out beneath them as they drew towards their destination.

"How much longer till we reach Gedinja?" Falco asked, staring at the arid expanse beneath him.

"Girinja, Falco. And it should be within sight soon." Fox answered.

Soon enough, a silver dot appeared on top of a rocky cliff. A winding river weaved below the cliff, outlined by rocky out juts that bore towards the sky like snarling fangs.

"Let's head in." Fox said, leading the group down towards the city.

(Girinja Airspace)

"Krystal, can you sense anyone down there?" Fox asked via communicator.

"No, the town is completely empty. Unless they're using some sort of jamming signal." Krystal concluded.

"I wouldn't put it past them. Who knows what technology they've developed on this planet?" Slippy said, checking his ships sensors. "I'm not picking anything up though. If they're using a jamming device, it's so sophisticated I can't pick it up."

"Well, we're getting nothing done by hanging around in the air, we should land ASAP." Falco finished, looking around at the eerily empty city. "Should we land atop that building?"

"No, don't. Think about it, we don't know if there's actually anybody in the city. What if we land atop that building only to find it filled with hostiles? And even if there are people and they aren't unfriendly, if we do encounter hostiles, we'll have to rush back to the top of the building." Katt explained with uncanny reasoning.

"She's right. Let's land over in that corner near the wall. It's relatively open and we'll be able to see if anybody comes running." Fox said with finality.

The team landed off in the open corner as instructed, exiting their Arwings to take to the city streets. All of them had their blasters drawn, the unnatural quiet causing an uneasy anticipation.

"This just doesn't feel right." Slippy thought aloud, peering around a street corner to inspect for any signs of life.

"Slippy's right. The city shouldn't be this empty. Let's inspect the buildings." Fox commanded, trying to open the nearest door. When it refused to open, he took a couple of steps back, and proceeded to kick the door in. He rushed in shoulder-first with his blaster drawn. He looked around, keeping his blaster pointed directly in front of him.

The building was a small house. In the center of the room sat what appeared to be a dining room table. Picture frames sat around the area on top of small desks and various other pieces of furniture. A staircase sat in the far left corner of the room, leading to the rest of the house.

"Alright, let's split up. Katt, Slippy, and me will inspect the rest of this house. Krystal, you and Falco start on the next one." Fox ordered, heading up the staircase.

"Got it, Fox." Krystal agreed, heading out the doorway to find the next building.

(Girinjian Building Upstairs – Fox, Katt, Slippy)

The room upstairs appeared to be a living area, containing a T.V. and a couch. A hallway split off to the left at the top of the stairs, with a kitchen easily visible through an opening in the opposite wall. The room showed no signs of being used recently.

"Where the heck is everybody?" Katt asked, heading into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, finding some items in it that were just about to go past their expiration date.

"I don't know. People were here not too long ago. But they left a while back." Fox commented, watching as Slippy inspected the house with a gadget from his backpack. Fox then turned on his communicator. "Find anything, Krystal?"

"Not much, but we think there's something here you ought to see." Krystal responded.

"Alright, we're on our way."

(Girinjian Building – Krystal and Falco)

Falco kicked in the door to the next building in the same manner Fox had done with the first building. He and Krystal filed in, inspecting their surroundings. They were in a living area, a couch facing a large screen T.V. The T.V. was on, but only a blank screen showed.

"I don't think a normal person would be willing to pay for this much electricity." Falco said, changing channels. The T.V. acted normally except for the original channel.

"What channel is that?" Krystal asked, watching as Falco channel surfed.

"Public access. Figures, huh? That the channel that would tell us about the community is just as creepy as the community itself?" Falco joked aloud.

"That might not be a coincidence." Krystal mused. Suddenly, her wrist communicator sprang to life.

"Find anything, Krystal?" Fox's voice asked from the communicator.

"Not much, but we think there's something here ought to see." Krystal told Fox, indicating the television set.

"Alright, we're on our way." Fox confirmed.

After a few moments, the rest of the team entered the house.

"What did you find?" Fox asked as he entered the building.

"Look." Krystal said, tilting her head towards the television.

"So, it's a blank T.V. screen…" Katt stated, looking perplexed.

"Yes, it's the public access channel." Krystal continued. "I was thinking that maybe Slippy could find out where the channel is broadcasting from."

The group turned to look at Slippy, who had been snooping around the interior of the house.

"Well?" Falco asked the toad, bringing him into the conversation.

"Well what?" Slippy asked, not having paid attention.

"Can you backhack this T.V. or what?" Falco continued to interrogate, slightly annoyed at Slippy's lack of attention.

"Oh, sure. Give me a sec." Slippy said, pulling a wire out from his wrist communicator. He connected the wire to the television, then proceeded to press a few buttons. The group merely watched as Slippy did so. After a few minutes, he disconnected the wire and returned it to its holding place.

"Alright, I got the coordinates. It looks like the broadcast was sent out from the center of town." Slippy said, looking at the map on his communicator.

"Let's head out then." Fox instructed, holding the door open for the rest of the team.

The team rushed out into the streets, neglecting the rows of empty buildings as Slippy led them to the coordinates.

"It should be right…here." Slippy said, staring at his communicator map.

"Well, we were bound to show up here eventually." Falco said, staring at the sign on the side of the building labeled Girinja Crest Military Base.

"This is the source of the public access channel?" Fox asked, looking at the base for any signs of movement.

"That's where the coordinates led me." Slippy confirmed.

"Alright, let's head in. Maybe we'll finally get some answers." Fox said, holding his blaster aloft as he opened the door to the interior of the base.

(Girinja Crest Military Base)

The team walked into the base right past the surrounding training grounds. Footsteps could be seen around the entirety of the base, but whether they were soldiers' or not remained a mystery. Fox led the team as they entered the interior of the base. The entrance hallway was illuminated by a steady red glow from the exit sign above the entrance, the adjacent hallway around the right corner pitch black as the wall blocked out the ephemeral glow.

"Can you sense anyone inside, Krystal?" Fox asked, looking from side to side to make sure there wasn't an ambush lying in wait for them.

"No, I'm not picking up any type of life signs." Krystal replied sullenly.

"What the hell is up with this place?" Falco asked no one in particular.

"I don't know, but let's keep moving." Fox commanded, turning the corner into the darkness. He turned on his communicator backlight to make up for the lack of light. The others did the same.

The hallway then branched off into a series of doorways down the entirety of the hall, with another hallway stemming off to the left near the middle of the wall.

"Slippy, see if you can do anything about these lights, the rest of us will begin checking the rest of these rooms." Fox instructed, opening the nearest door. The rest of the team followed suit, meandering off to their own respective rooms to inspect for clues. Slippy merely stood in the center of the hallway as he used his communicator to hack into the base's system.

Fox closed the door behind him as he finished inspecting the room, which had been nothing more than a faculty room. He went down to the end of the hallway to inspect the last room on the right.

Katt exited her room, which had been a supply closet, and upon finding the rest of the current hallway devoid of any more rooms, headed down the corner that pulled off to the left. More doorways stood parallel to each other, so Katt entered the nearest one.

"And…GOT IT!" Slippy yelled as the lights in the hallways burst into luminance. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the immediate change in lighting.

Katt slowly opened her eyes to inspect the room before her.

"AAAAAGGGHHHH!"

Everyone rushed out of their rooms and charged down the hallway towards Katt's voice. Falco reached her first, seeing her hold her face in panic, her eyes peering between her fingers.

"KATT! WHAT'S WRONG!" Falco pleaded as he rushed up to her. When he finally got to her, he followed her gaze to inside the room. "Damn it."

An officer was bound to a chair at the far end of the room. Blood smeared the floor around him, as well as on his shoulders and the several medals that adorned his chest. A large gash pierced through his skull, large enough to easily allow a fist to reach through to the other side. In the middle of the blood pool on the floor sat a scorch mark, which was slowly being covered up by the surrounding puddle.

The rest of the team caught up, while Falco pulled Katt's head to his neck. An audible gasp was heard as they viewed the body.

"Oh…n-" Krystal trailed off, staring at lifeless corpse.

"We know now that Girinja's missing populace wasn't an accident." Fox stated coldly, entering the room to look for signs of clues. He walked up to the corpse, inspecting the wound upon the beagle's head. "This was caused by a charged blaster at point blank."

Slippy, unable to cope with viewing the dead body, continued to meander through the halls. He found a door labeled "Data Banks" and went inside. Inside, he found a large white room with a huge computer covering the left side of the wall. He walked over to the apparatus and turned the power on. The screen immediately blinked to life, showing shipping documents and schematics of the building.

"It's still logged on…" Slippy said as he sifted through the information. After a couple of minutes, his eyes dilated. "FOX!"

In a matter of seconds, the rest of the team was at the room. Slippy stood in front of the controls and beckoned them to come over.

"I think I found out what happened here." Slippy said as he pulled up a projection. "This is what was displayed on the public access channel before it was disconnected."

The projection showed the beagle from the other room, tied up in the same manner as they found him, except he was alive and struggling with his bonds. Soon, a cloaked figure emerged into the projection, slowly approaching the beagle. He turned around as he reached the captive, facing the camera. An insignia depicting a hand with an eye in its palm sat upon the cloaked figure's right shoulder. After a few moments, the figure cleared his voice and addressed the camera.

"Citizens of Girinja. We appear before you today with a message." the figure stated with an arrogant, resonating tone. "That message is, that the Hands of Lylat will soon establish control over the Lylat System, and restore the balance of power under the almighty Mind. Yet, to do that we require digits, as well as the removal of pesky thorns such as the General here. Thus, we shall accomplish both tasks in one fell swoop!"

Another cloaked figure appeared in the projection, handing a blaster to the speaker. He pointed it aloft to the beagle's head. Slowly the tip began pulsating with color, turning from green, to blue, then to red. Just as the figure steadied his hand, the beagle chewed through the cloth covering his mouth.

"PEOPLE OF GIRINJA! DO NOT LOSE HOPE! THOUGH I MAY DIE, I DO NOT WANT MY GOALS TO DIE WITH ME! CONTINUE TO STAND TALL AND UPHOLD THE LAW OF GIRINJA! NEVER SHALL WE BE FRIGHTENED INTO THE CORNER BY THESE VICIOUS ACTS! WE SHALL NOT BE DOMINATED BY THESE TERRORI-"

The cloaked figure smirked, then released the trigger. Krystal and Katt cringed away from the sight, while Fox and Falco gritted their teeth in anger.

"Alright, activ-" the projection voiced just as it turned off.

"Those bastards." Falco said, his shoulders stiffening with anger.

"Slippy, see if you can pull up any information about what they were doing here." Fox ordered, his thoughts racing after the murder he just witnessed.

"I can't get much, most of the system had been wiped clean before I even got here. Whatever they were doing, they made sure to clean up after themselves." Slippy explained, frantically typing. Images danced around the screen as Slippy dug his way into the system. "The only things I can really get was that video, the list of personnel in the base, and some news articles and shipping records."

Fox looked at the screen as Slippy tried salvaging information. He saw a news article that had in big letters "General Howton establishes order on Quanzan!" A second later, another one popped up saying "Howton, Worker for the People!" Several pictures on the news article showed the beagle carrying heavy building materials, surrounded by other workers that all had smiles on their faces. Slippy then reached a large document that filled up nearly the entirety of the screen, pulling Fox's attention back to Slippy.

"This here is the shipping records for past month out of Quanzan." Slippy pointed out.

Fox scanned the list, looking for any clue as to what else had occurred on Quanzan without their knowing.

"It looks like they all left." Krystal pointed out, indicating the ships at the bottom of the list. "The Charon ship class is used mainly in the transport of people, right?"

"Yeah." Katt verified. "Though, it's usually used for things like cruises or other mass-public things like that. But I don't think all of Girinja just decided to go on a pleasure cruise after witnessing that assassination."

Fox continued to scan the list as he listened to the conversation. His eyes probed over the different ship classes and dates as he tried to deduce what possible purpose those ships could have served. His concentration was broken as Falco spoke up.

"Hey, what the heck is with that?" Falco asked, pointing up to the top of the screen. "Can you get any more detail on that one, Slips?"

After several seconds of typing, the information for the shipping report popped up on screen.

"Yeah. What happened to that Leviathan-class ship? How can it be damaged? Those things are the size of frickin' cities!" Falco exclaimed.

"What were the contents of the ship, Slippy?" Fox asked, now intrigued.

"I can't get it! This part was wiped clean too!" Slippy cried out. "The only thing I can get is the shipping numbers and packages…"

The team looked at the numbers, overall, there were about 300 different shipments, all labeled "Living."

_Well, that explains why they used a Leviathan-class ship…_

"This has to be the ship Dr. Menoway was talking about." Falco said, his eyes glued to the screen.

Fox continued to stare at all of shipments. Some of them were in small packages, or cages in this instance. Others were larger, needing cages the size of small trees. There was one that caught his eye though. Its cage size was roughly as large as the Great Fox itself.

"Hey Slippy, can you get any more info on that one?" Fox asked, indicating the large container.

"Not really, only that there were two other cages that size." Slippy responded. "Oh wait, there's a shipping notice on that one package."

Slippy pulled up the notice, all its said was "KA."

"KA? What the hell does that mean?" Falco asked, voicing the question on everyone's minds.

"I don't know, but it looks like this is all the information we'll get here on Quanzan. I doubt the other towns and cities will have any idea what was going on here, assuming they weren't abducted either. Let's head back to the Great Fox, we have to tell General Pepper what we found out. Then, it looks like we have to find this Leviathan-class ship…" Fox contemplated aloud.

"Ok, let's head back then. I'll tell Peppy we're on our way." Krystal said.

The team headed back outside, after removing General Howton from the chair and placing him in the base's medical bay.

"Rest in peace, General." Fox saluted before rushing out into the hallway with the rest of the team.

The team quickly got into the ships and returned to the Great Fox.

(Quanzan Airspace)

The team rushed through the halls of the Great Fox, meeting Peppy in the hallway.

"Hey team, how'd it go?" Peppy asked, holding a cup of coffee.

"Not so good." Slippy said glumly.

"We're going to report to General Pepper now." Fox stated, heading towards the elevator leading to the bridge.

"Alright then." Peppy said, turning around to follow the rest of the team.

(The Bridge)

Fox sat in his chair and quickly pressed a couple of buttons on his armrest. Soon, the Cornerian Emblem appeared, followed by the face of General Pepper. His forehead had a coating of sweat, and his tense face depicted hours of strenuous work.

"Ah, Fox. What have you found out about Girinja?" Pepper asked, sounding drained.

"It was the Hands of Lylat, sir. They abducted the entire town, and killed General Howton."

The General's eyes widened at the last two statements.

"Howton! Damn it all, he was a good man. And what is this about abduction?"

"The entire town is missing, sir," Krystal explained. "There wasn't a soul there. They all left relatively recently, according to shipping information. We assumed they left with the Hands of Lylat."

The General let out an exasperated sigh.

"Alright. Thank you, Team Star Fox. I will update you as soon as possible. General Pepper, over and out." the General stated, disconnecting the link.

Fox turned to face the team as soon as the link shut off.

"Well, it looks like we've got some planning to do."

"Oh joy." Falco sighed, slumping into the chair behind him.

Author's Notes: Well, these two chapters aren't the most exciting end to a 2-3 year hiatus, but they are vital to storylines to come. And, as I promised earlier, I will explain the reasoning for my hiatus. It started out when my computer caught another bug. For some reason, it just refused to function, and I couldn't even access my own account. It wouldn't even get past starting up. It would loop continuously in that Windows Loading screen, with the little bar at the bottom pretending to show signs of progress. So, I was not able to access my computer for about a month because of this. Then, I had to use Linux on it to even get desperately needed access to the Internet and a Word Processor. Before I had the bug, I already had a good chunk of Chapter 20 written out, but that was locked away in the Windows half of my computer, unable to be accessed by the Linux half. So, I decided not to sully my work by rewriting it, because I knew I liked what I had written previously and probably would not be able to duplicate it, so I decided to wait until I got my computer fixed to continue writing. Well, it took a while for me to even send in my computer to get fixed, and the only viable option Windows gave me was to reboot the entire system, which would mean an entire system restart. Which meant anything that did not come with the default package would be wiped out. Goodbye, previous Chapter 20. That took about all of three months. By that time, my friend had introduced me to MMORPGs, which I now play a little too much. :3 I also had many social interactions during that time, which ate up a lot of my usual free time. Then school started again, and everyone knows how that is. Being bogged under piles of work we aren't going to remember how to do in a decade is real fun. Which now brings me to my current situation. I started writing again because, after obsessively playing Maplestory for hours on end, I've been getting a little bored. So I've been going back to my roots. Playing Legend of Zelda and Pokemon and such. And, you guessed it, Starfox. So, remembering that I had this little story already underway, I have decided to continue adding to my epic saga of the Star Fox team. I'll update whenever I get the chance, so here's to another chapter! Now for reviews! :D

Reviews:

-_Time____Turned Fragile__  
__2011-01-24 . chapter 19_

_inb4youchangedyournameagain_

Yay! An update! It's been a while. I actually had to go back and re-read the story, but it's completely alright! I'm still a fan of the series, but I'm starting to notice that the chapters are leaving out more detail and becoming a bit more dialogue heavy. Anyway, thanks for the update, and I'll keep my eyes peeled for any future installments!

-_Time Turned Fragile__  
__2011-01-24 . chapter 20_

_Oh, wait? Excuse me, It appears I spoke ahead of myself! I actually really liked this chapter, it re-introduced me to some of that captivating detail I'd been missing. though not quite as long as the chapters I've grown accustomed to reading on other sites, this story, in general, is one of the more involved, more thought out, more apropos of the starfox fandom than most of the other fics I've read._

A cookie and an internet for you.

Hooray! It is another update! It's been a very long while! :P To tell the truth, I had to go back and re-read the story myself. :3 I'm glad you're still a fan, and got to reviewing so quickly. I wasn't looking forward to having to build up another fanbase. Now I don't have to! Huzzah! So yeah, if you thought the last chapter was text heavy, well *cough* *cough*. Yeah. UBER TEXT! :D These two chapters are some of the more text heavy ones, but that's because they hold a lot of story. Other chapters in the very near future will be more of the actiony stuff people have come to love. But, I'm glad you think this is one of the better Star Fox stories. I aim to please. :D So, yeah. And hooray, again! For I can haz cookie and internetz! :3 Here's to another chapter.

P.S. If anybody has access to or knows theXbeat08 and notfromearth7, tell them I'm sorry and I want them to come back. I will share TTF's cookie with them. :)


	22. Missing Pieces

Chapter 22: Missing Pieces

(34 Jedrai Street)

"Hey, I'm leaving." A young blue avian called out.

"Already? What time is it?" a dark blue avian asked from a desk.

"7:15. You stayed up through the whole night, again." the first avian stated in response. "I might be out a little late tonight."

"Fine, as long as you don't do anything stupid." The dark avian said, brushing him off with a wave as he continued to stare down at the papers strewn before him.

"C'mon. You know me." The young avian said with a wide grin.

"That's exactly why I said it. Now, have fun at school." The blue avian said, keeping his head down towards the desk.

"You know that last sentence was unintelligible to me." the young avian said with another grin, closing the door with a soft thud.

When the dark avian was sure the young avian would not return for whatever reason, he picked up two separate sheets of paper with his hands, staring at the numbers scattered on their surface. Then, in one sweep, he shoved all the papers off the desk in a fit of rage. He let out a scream, clutching his arms to his head. He took a few deep breaths, then slung himself upon a nearby chair, staring at the ceiling fan as it made lazy circles above him.

"Have fun at school, because pretty soon, you might not have the chance to."

(The Living Area)

The team had returned to the Living Area after the meeting with General Pepper. They were greeted by the aromas of exotic foods as they drifted out of the kitchen. A smiling Peppy stood at the top of the stairs leading to the kitchen with his usual apron on.

"Alright gang. Time to eat after a job well done." Peppy said, continuing to set the table. Some of the food was already out, awakening the team's hunger.

"YAY! Thanks Peppy!" Slippy said, seating himself down at the table. He took a plate and started piling food on top of it as the rest of the team went to sit down.

Krystal and Fox went into the kitchen with Peppy to help him finish setting the table.

"Although, you can't really call it a success." Fox mused with a sullen tone. "We didn't do much, someone was murdered, and we lost an entire city."

"What's done is done. Can't do much about those events, can you? We didn't even receive orders to head to Quanzan until yesterday. There's no way we could've changed things unless we learn a way to time travel." Peppy said consolingly. He patted Fox on the shoulder, giving him a big grin. "Now come on, let's get the rest of this food out there before Slippy eats it all and Falco starts complaining."

After the meal, Fox stood up, already having formulated the speech he would give for their next plan of action.

"Alright, based off the data we got from Girinja, it looks like the Hands of Lylat are up to something sinister. They appeared to have kidnapped the entire city, and they could be possibly plotting to do something with the creatures shipped out from Girinja. So, our next course is to find the Leviathan carrier ship and find out what happened there. According to Dr. Menoway, the ship was found by the Solsen Outposts scout ships about three days ago. Though, the doctor neglected to mention where the ship was spotted, so it looks like we're going to have to do some guesswo-"

"It's still in the sector. It's should be floating somewhere on the fringes of the Quanzas sector now." Falco interjected. The rest of the team turned to look at him.

"How do you know that?" Katt asked.

"Yeah, Falco. You better not be joking around." Slippy said, poking him in the arm.

"You mean like you always do?" Falco shot back defensively. "No, I'm being serious. A soldier on the Defense Outpost told me what happened regarding the ship before he died."

"Ok, well, that makes things much easier. We can now narrow down our search to just the Quanzas sector. We'll have to account for things like drifting, but we should be able to find it soon." Fox said, happy that things were working out for once.

"Well, that'll have to wait until tomorrow. It's already 11:46. You guys have had a long day." Peppy said, standing up. "Besides, we'll all think a lot more clearly after a good night's rest."

"Sounds good to me." Slippy said with a huge yawn. He stood up and began to head for the door.

Krystal and Fox soon followed him.

"What do you suppose the Hands of Lylat want to do with those creatures, Fox?" Krystal asked as they approached the door.

"I don't know. Hopefully, we'll find that out tomorrow. But, I don't intend to let them get away with it. I'll protect you Krystal, and everyone. I swore I would never let anyone innocent come to harm, and I intend to uphold that oath." Fox said, determination flaring in his eyes.

"I know, Fox. You've always been like that. I trust you." Krystal said solemnly, finishing off with a reassuring smile. Fox smiled back and the two exited the Living Area.

"How's your chest, Falco?" Katt asked looking sorrowfully at his the bandage on his chest, heading towards the door with Falco.

Falco looked down at the bandage covering his chest. He poked it to test for pains, and when he found none, began to peel off the bandage.

"I think it's just about better now. Still a little itchy, but everything's healed up nicely." Falco reassured her with a grin.

"That's good." Katt said with a sigh. Her eyes dropped to the floor, shame washing over her as she looked at the bandage in his hand.

"Yeah, I thought I might've died back there." Falco said, continuing to grin. "Good thing you were there, otherwise I might not be here."

"Yeah, right." Katt said, almost whispering.

_I'm the reason you could've died in the first place…_

The two walked out the door into the hallway.

Peppy, the last one to leave, went to the door and turned out the lights. Before he closed the door, he looked out at the red glow of Quanzan's surface, then to the space beyond in the Quanzas sector.

_So that ship is somewhere out there, huh?_ _Hmm, I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something…ahh well. Must not be too important._

Peppy closed the door, then proceeded to his room. The Great Fox was deathly quiet as it drifted through the abyss of space.

(Cornerian Command Building – Floor 56)

General Pepper paced back and forth insides the confines of his office. Throughout the day, he had been receiving varied reports of situations involving the Hands of Lylat.

_Macbeth supply line raided outside station. Zoness research department missing. Sector Y scouting ships never returning. Attacks on civilians passing near the Asteroid Field. When will it end!_

The General furrowed his brow in thought, took a moment to stare outside the large window behind his chair, then continued pacing.

After another several minutes of pacing, a knock sounded from the door.

"Come in." the General allowed, continuing to pace as if nothing happened.

"Afternoon, General. Here's some coffee." A dog said, coming into the office bearing a cardboard coffee carrier. She removed a cup and placed it on the desk. "Hazelnut is good, right?"

"Yes, thank you, Amy." The General said, seating himself behind the desk. He began to tap his foot underneath the desk, frustration lining his face as he picked up his coffee. Slowly, the lines began to melt off his face as he allowed the effects of the coffee to sink in.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your work, General." Amy said, flashing a brilliantly white smile before closing the door behind her.

The General had just finished his coffee when he received a transmission. His frustration regarding the Hands of Lylat soon returned to him when he saw the Emblem of the Star Fox Team sitting on his screen.

_Hopefully, they have good news._

The General pressed a button, and Fox's face appeared on the screen, with the rest of the team standing off to the distance behind him. They had a degree of seriousness imprinted upon their faces, leading the General to believe things weren't as good as he'd like them to be.

"Ah, Fox. What have you found out about Girinja?" the General asked, somewhat hesitant to hear the answer. Fox looked down for a second, then faced back up to respond.

"It was the Hands of Lylat, sir. They abducted the entire town, and killed General Howton." Fox explained.

The General's thoughts turned to Howton as he heard those words. He remembered seeing him when he was still in training. One of his fellow soldiers had been incapacitated during a mock battle, and Howton had turned around, propped him up on his shoulder, and continued the fight. It was characteristics like those that had led him to become a General.

"Howton! Damn it all, he was a good man." The General exclaimed. Then his thoughts turned to the second half of Fox's debriefing. "And what is this about abduction?"

One of the figures in the back then shifted, coming closer to the screen. A blue vixen then became invisible.

"The entire town is missing, sir. There wasn't a soul there. They all left relatively recently, according to shipping information. We assumed they left with the Hands of Lylat." Krystal explained.

The General then breathed out a heavy sigh. More instances of strange activity involving the Hands of Lylat. The General had encountered acts of terrorism before, the threat of alien invasion and even the tyranny of outright dictators, but nothing he had seen before was quite like this. The potency of the Hands of Lylat was made all the more real solely by the way they operated. The fact that they were terrorists only added to the initial shock.

"Alright. Thank you, Team Star Fox. I will update you as soon as possible. General Pepper, over and out." The General finished, disconnecting the link. As soon as the screen blinked out, the General reclined in his chair, taking another deep sigh. "This has to end. Terrorism like this can't be allowed to exist in this system."

As soon as the General said that, another message appeared on his screen. A town in Fortuna had just experienced a bombing. Forces at Fortuna had already started to clean up the mess.

Taking one last sip out of the nearly empty coffee cup, the General began to furiously type away, a renewed fervor igniting from deep within him.

(The Great Fox – Living Area)

The team awoke feeling refreshed. They quickly went into the Living Area, ready to begin the mission for the day. Slippy and Falco went into the kitchen with Peppy to get breakfast ready, leaving Fox, Krystal, and Katt outside.

"How do you suppose we'll find the ship, Fox?" Krystal inquired.

"Well, we can easily access the Solsen Defense Outpost's route from Cornerian data banks. After we get those, we'll search in the general area where it orbited near the Quanzas sector. I don't know how far those carrier ships went, or how far the Girinjian ship has drifted, so it may take a little bit before we find it." Fox elaborated. As soon as he finished saying that, Slippy came out with the first course of breakfast balanced delicately in his hands, as well as on his arms and his head.

"Hey guys. Could use a little help…" Slippy said as he slowly began climbing down the steps. The rest of the team went up to help him. Before long, the food was set and the team began to eat.

"So, we got a game plan?" Falco asked right before swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Yeah, I was just explaining it to Katt and Krystal before. Fox confirmed.

"Oh, good. At least we got more of a handle on this, unlike that last time with the Jatrian ship fiasco." Falco said, rubbing his left arm. He still remembered the injuries he and Slippy had received after the van exploded.

As soon as Falco finished his sentence, Peppy's eyes widened in realization.

_OF COURSE! JATRIA! How could I have forgotten!_

Peppy immediately stood up, starting to head for the door.

"C'mon gang! We need to check something, now!" Peppy said, alarm evident in his voice.

"What is it, Peppy?" Slippy asked for the team.

"Something urgent, now c'mon!"

(The Bridge)

Peppy led the team all the way to the bridge. He quickly ran into the room and began typing hurriedly on one of the nearby terminals.

"ROB, bring up the videos from the battle near Jatria!" Peppy commanded, continuing to type in commands.

"Affirmative." The robot complied. Within seconds, the footage was brought up again.

"What's going on, Peppy?" Fox asked.

"Look here, this is what we picked up from when we were outside Jatria." Peppy exclaimed.

"The team watched the video of the dogfight Peppy had with the Jatrian armada."

"Ok…so what are we looking for, Peppy?" Katt asked, staring at the video of the dogfight.

"Look here." Peppy said, indicating the light he had found before. "ROB, zoom in on this light again."

"Affirmative."

The picture focused in on the light, losing visibility just as the ship shook when it was struck by the missile.

"So…it's a light…" Falco said unenthusiastically. "What does this have to do anything?"

"Hang on a sec, let me see if I can improve on the picture quality." Slippy said, extending the wire out of his communicator. He pulled the paused image onto his communicator, and began tinkering, in a few seconds, another image appeared on the monitor before everyone, much clearer and sharper than the previous one had been.

"There, see, it's a ship! That's what I was getting at." Peppy said with excitement.

"Yeah, so?" Falco continued, still being unable to figure out what Peppy was trying to get across.

"Well, wasn't most of Jatria under mind-control for awhile? Wouldn't that mean whoever was piloting that ship most likely be under mind-control as well?" Peppy expatiated.

Fox's eyes widened as he realized the gravity of Peppy's discovery.

"SLIPPY! ZOOM IN ON THAT SHIP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!" Fox commanded.

"AAAGHH! Alright! I got it." Slippy said, fumbling with his technology again, this time, words could be seen adorning the side of the ship, though it wasn't entirely legible.

"Wait, I've seen that logo before…" Krystal said, staring at the image.

"Wait, isn't that the logo of the Jatria Shipping company?" Katt asked, thinking back.

"Yeah, so isn't that the ship we took out before?" Slippy asked.

"How could it be? Remember, we just came from Corneria, so that would be directly behind us. The ship would have to travel directly next to us if it were heading for Corneria." Peppy explained.

"So, that ship is heading for a different planet."

Fox put the pieces together before anyone else did.

"WE HAVE TO FIND THAT SHIP!" he yelled.

As soon as he yelled, the Cornerian Emblem appeared behind him. Fox quickly rushed over to his chair and pressed a button. He was soon greeted by General Pepper's face.

"Fox! This is an emergency! We need you to mobilize right away!"

**Author's notes:** Hooray. Excitement is now returning to the story. With another famous cliffhanger ending! I'm getting back into the groove with my writing style, and I have to tell you, it feels good. I remember why writing this was so much fun back when I started three years ago. It fun to create a story where anything is possible and you just get to have your ideas come alive. Though, school work doesn't make it quite as much fun. :P So yeah. Another hooray for constant updates! :D I don't know if I'll be able to update constantly like this all the time, but I'll try my best. So here's to another chapter. Now for reviews, of which, there are none. :3

Reviews:

There aren't any. I assume this is because I published the last chapter at like 5 a.m. In fact, I am writing this, as of right now, at 4:12 a.m. So yeah, I guess no one saw it get updated. I'll be sure to publish at a time when more people can see it. So, here's to another chapter.


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